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■ 


. 


— 


The  Steamship  Cuba. 


ILLUSTRATED 

XSv; 


RAMBLES  IN  BIBLE  LANDS 

y 

By  Rev.  RICHARD  NEWTON,  D.D., 

RECTOR  OF  THE  CHURCH  OF  THE  EPIPHANY,  PHILADELPHIA. 


PHILADELPHIA: 

AMERICAN  SUNDAY-SCHOOL  UNION, 

1122  CHESTNUT  STREET. 


New  York:  Nos.  8  and  10  Bible  House,  Astor  Place. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1875,  by  the 
AMERICAN  SUNDAY-SCHOOL  UNION, 
in  the  Office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress,  at  Washington. 


PRESS  OF 

HENRY  B.  ASHMEAD 
PHILADELPHIA. 


CONTENTS. 


PAGE 

Chapter  L — The  Voyage  across  the  Ocean — A  Visit  to  Pisa,  with 

its  Leaning  Tower,  and  to  the  City  of  Cairo . 9 

Chapter  II. — The  Pyramids  and  their  Lessons — Incidents  at  the 
Pyramids — The  Fatal  Run — The  Good  Melican  Man — The  Battle 

of  the  Sheiks . 18 

Chapter  III. — From  Port  Said  to  Jaffa — Landing — Arrangements 
for  our  Journey — History  and  Description  of  Jaffa — House  of 
Simon  the  Tanner— The  First  Day’s  Journey — Encampment  at 

Ramleh . 28 

Chapter  IV. — Arrival  at  Jerusalem — First  Impressions — Sketch  of 

its  History — The  Jews’  Wailing  Place,  the  first  place  visited  .  37 

Chapter  V. — Jerusalem  continued — The  Church  of  the  Holy  Sepul¬ 
chre — The  Mosque  of  Omar — The  Via  Dolorosa — The  Pool  of 

Bethesda . 45 

Chapter  VI. — Round  about  Jerusalem — The  Valley  of  Hinnom — 
Isaiah’s  Tree — The  Pool  of  Siloam — Absalom’s  Pillar — The  Gar¬ 
den  of  Gethsemane — The  Mount  of  Olives . 58 

Chapter  VII. — From  Jerusalem  to  the  Dead  Sea — Bethany — The 
Road  to  Jericho — The  Brook  Cherith — Jericho — Elisha’s  Foun¬ 
tain — The  Plains  of  Jericho — The  Jordan — The  Dead  Sea  .  .  72 

Chapter  VIII. — From  the  Dead  Sea  to  Jerusalem — The  Wilderness 
of  Judea — The  Convent  of  Mar  Saba — Bethlehem — The  Pools  of 

Solomon — Hebron  and  Abraham’s  Oak . 91 

Chapter  IX. — From  Jerusalem  to  Bethel — The  Last  Look  at  Jeru¬ 
salem — The  Meeting-place  of  David  and  Jonathan — The  City  of 
Nob — Gibeah  of  Saul — The  Scene  of  Rizpah’s  Devotion — Ramah 

— Shiloh — Bethel . 108 

Chapter  X. — From  Bethel  to  Jenin — Meeting  a  Hail-storm — Jacob’s 

Well — Nablus  and  Mount  Gerizim — Samaria — Dothan— Jenin  .  115 

Chapter  XI. — From  Jenin  to  Mount  Carmel — The  Plain  of  Esdrae- 
lon — The  Mountains  of  Gilboa — Little  Hermon — Shunem — Nain 
— Endor — Mount  Tabor — Nazareth — A  Sunday  at  Nazareth— 

Mount  Carmel . 131 

Chapter  XII. — From  Nazareth  to  Capernaum — Cana  of  Galilee — 

The  Mount  of  Beatitudes — Tiberias — The  Sea  of  Galilee  and  its 
Ruined  Cities . 147 


IV 


CONTENTS. 


Chapter  XIII. — From  Capernaum  to  Damascus — A  Desolate  Coun¬ 
try — Ain  Melahah — A  Relisliable  Draught — Banias — Mount  Her- 

mon — Damascus . 

Chapter  XIY. — From  Damascus  to  Baalbek — Last  View  of  Damas¬ 
cus — Ain  Fijeh — The  Gorge  of  the  Barada— A  Night  Scene  in  the 
Mountains — An  Oriental  Entertainment — A  Snow  Storm  on  the 
Mountains — Damascus— Its  Situation — Its  Age — Its  Ruins — A 
Sabbath  in  the  Temple  of  Jupiter  ....... 

Chapter  XY. — From  Baalbek  to  Beirut — The  Village  of  Ain  Ata — 
Starting  for  the  Cedars — The  Grove  of  Cedars — The  Points  of 
Interest  about  Lebanon — The  Descent  to  Lebanon  Range — Beirut 

— Old  Tyre . 

Chapter  XVI. — From  Beirut  to  Smyrna — Tripoli — Laodicea — An¬ 
tioch — Alexandretta—  Messina —  Tarsus — Cyprus — Rhodes—  Pat- 

pios . 

Chapter  XVII. — The  Seven  Churches  of  Asia  Minor — Ephesus — - 
Smyrna — Pergamos — Thyatira — Sardis — Philadelphia — Laodicea 


PAGE 

159 

180 

190 

206 

226 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


PAGE 

Abraham’s  Oak, . 105 

Absalom’s  Pillar  or  Tomb, . 59 

Antioch, . 208 

Arab  Boy, . 16 

Arab  Water-carriers, .  .  16 

Baalbek, . 185 

Banias, . .  .  162 

Beirut, . 200 

Bethany, . 72 

Bethlehem,  ..........  95 

Cana  of  Galilee, . 147 

Capernaum, . 156 

Convent  of  Mar  Saba, . 93 

Damascus, . 171 

Dead  Sea, . 87 

Destruction  of  Sodom, . 89 

Dothan,  126 

Ephesus, . 226 

Garden  of  Gethsemane, . 63 

Hebron, . 102 

Interior  of  the  Church  of  the  Holy  Sepulchre,  .  .  .  .46 

Island  of  Cyprus, . 214 

Island  of  Rhodes,  . . 218 

Isle  of  Patmos, . 222 

Jacob’s  Well, . 116 

Jaffa, . 31 

Jenin, . 129 

Jericho, . 82 

Jerusalem, . 37 

Jezreel, . 134 

Little  Hermon  and  Nain, . 135 

Laodicea, . 246 

Mountains  of  Lebanon, . 193 

Mount  of  Beatitudes, . 151 

Mount  Carmel, . 142 

Mount  Hermon, . 165 

Mount,  of  Olives, . 68 

Mount  Tabor, . 137 

Mountains  of  Gilboa, . •  •  133 

Nablus  and  Mount  Gerizim, . 119 

Nazareth, . 139 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


PAGE 

Pergamos, . 233 

Philadelphia, . 242 

Plain  of  Esdraelon, . .  131 

Poolof  Bethesda, . 55 

Pools  of  Solomon, . 91) 

Samaria, . .  122 

Sardis, . . .  239 

Sea  of  Galilee  and  Tiberias, . 153 

Shiloh, . .  Ill 

Smyrna,  ...........  229 

Tarsus, . 211 

The  Jews’  Wailing  Place,  .......  41 

The  Leaning  Tower  of  Pisa,  .......  11 

The  Mosque  of  Omar,  . . 49 

The  Pyramids,  . . 19 

The  River  Jordan, . 83 

The  Sorrowful  Way, . .  .  52 

The  Steamship  Cuba, . 9 

Thyatira,  ...........  236 

Tyre, . 202 


PREFACE. 


In  the  year  1870  it  was  my  privilege  to  visit  the  Holy  Land. 
Being  then,  as  now,  editor  of  the  publications  of  the  American 
Sunday-School  Union,  while  journeying  through  that  land  a 
series  of  letters  was  written,  both  for  The  Sunday-School  World 
and  The  Child’s  World,  giving  an  account  of  the  interesting 
places  visited  there,  in  connection  with  the  scenes  referred  to  in 
the  history  of  the  Bible.  These  letters  were  continued  after 
my  return  home,  till  all  the  places  visited  on  that  journey  had 
been  described. 

At  the  request  of  the  Committee  of  Publication,  those  two 
series  of  letters  have  been  combined  together  and  thrown  into 
the  form  of  consecutive  chapters,  and  so  constitute,  with  con¬ 
siderable  additional  matter,  the  substance  of  the  present  volume. 
In  preparing  it,  my  hope  has  been  that  a  book  might  thus  be 
furnished  that  would  be  at  once  attractive  to  younger  readers, 
and  at  the  same  time  interesting  and  profitable  to  those  of 
maturer  years.  If  this  hope  should  be  realized  in  any  good 
degree,  I  shall  feel  devoutly  thankful. 

Many  books,  it  is  true,  have  been  published  on  this  subject. 
But  every  thoughtful  student  of  the  Bible,  when  describing  his 
visit  to  the  land  where  that  book  was  written,  though  speaking 
of  localities  which  others  have  described  before,  will  yet  see 
some  things  in  a  different  light  from  that  in  which  others  have 


VI 


PREFACE. 


looked  at  them,  and  will  receive  different  impressions  respecting 
them.  And  thus,  though  the  theme  of  the  present  volume  is  an 
old  one,  yet,  like  “  the  Book  of  hooks,’’  to  which  it  relates,  our 
interest  in  it  is  ever  new.  I  can  say  in  truth,  that  of  all  the 
journeys  ever  made  in  a  life  now  getting  to  be  one  of  some 
length,  the  journey  made  up  of  these  “  Rambles  through  Bible 
Lands  ”  has  been  to  me  by  far  the  most  interesting  and  profit¬ 
able.  And  while,  on  the  one  hand,  those  who  have  had  a  per¬ 
sonal  experience  of  the  power  and  preciousness  of  the  truth 
which  the  Bible  teaches  need  no  external  evidences  of  the 
divine  origin  of  that  blessed  book ;  yet,  on  the  other,  to  those 
who  are  doubtful  about  it,  there  is  nothing  like  a  journey 
through  the  Holy  Land  to  establish  confidence  in  the  great  fact 
that  the  Bible  is  what  it  claims  to  be,  and  that  it  never  could 
have  been  written  in  any  other  land  than  that  with  which  its 
history  is  connected.  And  next  to  a  personal  inspection  of  that 
land,  the  testimony  of  others  as  to  its  geography  and  history 
may  be  made  useful  to  the  same  end. 

This  is  strikingly  illustrated  in  the  following  incident : — 

THE  BIBLE  ON  TENTER-HOOKS. 

In  a  village  in  Yorkshire,  England,  lived  two  men  who  wTere 
cloth  manufacturers.  One  was  named  Walsh  and  the  other 
Stetson.  Walsh  was  an  unbeliever.  It  was  a  favorite  opinion 
of  his  that  the  Bible  was  “  all  made  up.”  He  could  never 
believe  that  it  was  written  where  it  professed  to  be,  and  by  the 
men  said  to  have  written  in.  But  Stetson  was  an  earnest 
Christian. 

Walsh  was  part  owner  of  a  factory,  and  one  year  he  had  set 
his  heart  on  making  a  very  large  and  fine  piece  of  cloth.  He 
took  great  pains  with  the  carding,  spinning,  dyeing,  weaving 


PREFACE. 


Vll 


and  finishing  of  it.  In  the  process  of  manufacture,  it  was  one 
day  stretched  out  on  the  tenterdiooks  to  dry.  It  made  a  fine 
show,  and  he  felt  very  proud  of  it.  The  next  morning  he  arose 
early  to  work  at  it ;  to  his  amazement,  it  was  gone.  Some  one 
had  stolen  it  during  the  night. 

After  weeks  of  anxiety  and  expense,  a  piece  of  cloth  answer¬ 
ing  the  dascription  was  stopped  at  Manchester,  awaiting  the 
owner  and  proof.  Away  to  Manchester  went  Walsh,  as  fast  as 
the  express  train  would  carry  him.  There  he  found  many  rolls 
of  cloth  which  had  been  stolen.  They  were  very  much  alike. 
He  selected  one  which  he  felt  satisfied  was  his.  But  how  could 
he  prove  it  ?  In  doubt  and  perplexity  he  called  on  his  neighbor 
Stetson. 

“Friend  Stetson,”  said  he,  “  I  have  found  a  piece  of  cloth 
which  I  am  sure  is  the  one  which  was  stolen  from  me.  But 
how  to  prove  it,  is  the  question.  Can  you  tell  me  how  ?” 

“  You  don’t  want  it  unless  it’s  really  yours  ?” 

“  Certainly  not.” 

“  And  you  want  proof  that  is  plain,  simple,  and  such  as  will 
satisfy  yourself  and  everybody  ?” 

“  Precisely  so.” 

“  Well,  then,  take  Bible  proof.” 

“Bible  proof!  Pray,  what  is  that?” 

“  Take  your  cloth  to  the  tenter-hooks  on  which  it  was 
stretched,  and  if  it  be  yours,  every  hook  will  just  fit  the  hole 
through  which  it  passed  before  being  taken  down.  There  will 
be  scores  of  such  hooks,  and  if  the  hooks  and  the  holes  just 
come  together  right,  no  other  proof  will  be  wanted  that  the 
cloth  is  yours.” 

“True.  Why  didn’t  I  think  of  this  before?” 

Away  he  went,  and,  sure  enough,  every  hook  came  to  its 
little  hole,  and  the  cloth  was  proved  to  be  his.  The  tenter¬ 
hooks  were  the  very  best  evidence  that  could  be  had. 

Some  days  after  this,  Walsh  met  his  friend  again. 

“  I  say,  Stetson,”  said  he,  “  what  did  you  mean,  the  other 
day,  by  calling  the  tenter-hooks  ‘Bible  proof’?  I’m  sure 


vill 


PREFACE. 


if  I  had  as  good  evidence  for  the  Bible  as  I  had  for  my  cloth, 
I  never  should  doubt  it  again.” 

“  You  have  the  same,  only  better,  for  the  Bible.” 

“  How  so  ?” 

“  Put  it  on  the  tenter-hooks.  Take  the  Bible  and  travel  with 
it ;  go  to  the  place  where  it  was  made.  There  you  find  the 
Red  Sea,  the  Jordan,  the  Lake  of  Galilee,  Mount  Lebanon, 
Hermon,  Carmel,  Tabor  and  Gerizim ;  there  you  find  the  cities 
of  Damascus,  Hebron,  Tyre,  Sidon  and  Jerusalem.  Every 
mountain,  every  river,  every  sheet  of  water  mentioned  in  the 
Bible,  is  there,  just  as  the  Bible  speaks  of  it.  Sinai,  and  the 
desert,  and  the  Dead  Sea  are  there.  The  holes  and  the  hooks 
come  together  exactly.  The  best  guide-book  through  that 
country  is  the  Bible.  It  must  have  been  written  there  on  the 
spot,  just  as  your  cloth  must  have  been  made  and  stretched  on 
your  tenter-hooks.  That  land  is  the  mould  in  which  the  Bible 
was  cast,  and  when  you  bring  the  land  and  the  book  together, 
they  fit  to  perfection.” 

Walsh  felt  the  force  of  this  argument,  and  he  gave  up  his 
infidelity,  and  began  to  read  the  Bible  with  an  interest  he  never 
had  felt  in  it  before. 

May  God  bless  this  book,  and  make  it  useful  to  every  reader, 
in  strengthening  his  faith  and  deepening  his  interest  in  that 
best  of  all  books — the  Bible ! 


Richard  Newton. 


ILLUSTRATED 


RAMBLES  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

THE  VOYAGE  ACROSS  THE  OCEAN — A  VISIT  TO  PISA,  WITH  ITS 
LEANING  TOWER,  AND  TO  THE  CITY  OF  CAIRO. 

We  left  home  for  our  journey  through  the  Holy  Land  in  the 
middle  of  January.  At  that  season  of  the  year  it  would  be 
most  natural  to  expect  a  long  and  stormy  voyage.  But  in 
this  we  were  agreeably  disappointed.  We  met  with  no  storms. 
The  weather  was  pleasant  all  the  way  over.  There  was  no  day 
when  we  could  not  comfortably  walk  up  and  down  the  deck  of 
the  vessel,  and  on  the  tenth  day  after  leaving  New  York  we 
landed  safely  at  Liverpool. 

Here  is  a  picture  of  the  steamer  Cuba — the  good  ship  that 
carried  us  over  the  ocean.  When  I  took  my  first  walk  on  the 
deck  of  this  vessel,  after  leaving  New  York,  I  looked  round  to 
find  something  to  write  about  to  my  young  friends  at  home. 
Very  soon  I  saw  something  that  suggested  two  good  lessons. 
There  were  three  or  four  large  compasses  fastened  to  the  deck 
of  the  vessel ;  and  then  there  was  another  compass  about  twenty 
feet  overhead,  fastened  to  the  mast  of  the  vessel.  You  know 
that  the  mariner’s  compass  is  a  little  piece  of  steel,  called  a 
needle,  which  is  set  on  a  sharp  iron  pivot,  fixed  in  a  box  which 
has  a  glass  cover  to  it.  This  needle  has  the  wonderful  power, 
which  God  has  given  it,  of  always  pointing  to  the  north.  And 
this  is  what  enables  the  sailor  to  steer  his  vessel  all  over  the 
ocean,  when  he  is  out  of  sight  of  land.  And  when  I  saw  the 


10 


ILLUSTRATED  RAMBLES 


sailor  looking  at  these  compasses  so  often,  I  thought  how  care¬ 
ful  sailors  are  to  find  out  how  to  steer  their  vessel !  They  teach 
us  a  very  good  lesson  here.  You  might  think  that  one  compass 
would  be  enough  on  board  a  ship.  But  here  were  three  or  four 
compasses  on  the  deck  of  this  same  vessel.  You  may  ask, 
“  What  do  they  want  so  many  for  ?”  The  reason  is  that  some¬ 
times  a  compass  gets  out  of  order,  and  then,  if  there  were  no 
other  near,  the  vessel  might  be  steered  wrong,  and  so  lose  her 
way  or  get  into  danger.  But  when  there  are  several  compasses, 
if  one  gets  wrong,  the  others  will  show  it,  and  so  the  sailor  is 
able  to  keep  his  vessel  in  the  right  course.  What  a  lesson  we 
may  learn  from  this !  The  Bible  is  our  compass.  It  points 
out  the  way  that  we  must  go  if  we  wish  to  get  to  heaven.  If 
we  are  only  careful  to  find  out  how  it  points,  and  then  to  follow 
its  pointing,  it  will  guide  us  through  all  the  dangers  that  are 
around  us,  on  the  sea  of  life,  and  bring  us  safely  home  to  heaven 
at  last.  This  is  a  good  lesson  to  learn  from  the  sailors. 

And  then  there  is  another  good  lesson  taught  us  by  that 
compass  fastened  up  on  the  mast.  It  hangs  up  there  in  such  a 
way  that  you  can  tell  in  a  moment,  from  looking  at  it,  the  way 
the  needle  points.  But  what  is  that  compass,  so  high  up  on  the 
mast,  put  there  for?  For  a  very  good  reason.  You  see  these 
steamers  are  built  of  iron.  And  iron  attracts  or  draws  the 
needle  of  a  compass  near  to  it,  so  that  it  cannot  always  be 
depended  on.  But  that  compass  up  the  mast  is  out  of  the  reach 
of  the  iron.  There  is  nothing  to  disturb  its  needle.  The  sailor 
can  depend  on  it,  therefore,  with  more  certainty.  And  when  I 
saw  the  captain  stand  on  deck,  and  look  to  that  compass  up  on 
the  mast,  to  see  if  he  was  going  right,  then  it  seemed  to  me  wTe 
were  taught  this  lesson, —  We  must  look  up  to  heaven  for  guidance 
if  we  wish  to  do  right.  It  is  not  enough  for  the  sailor  to  have  a 
compass  on  deck.  He  must  have  one  up  aloft,  and  he  must 
look  carefully  to  that,  if  he  would  be  sure  of  going  right. 

And  this  is  just  the  way  in  which  we  must  act.  When  we 
read  our  Bibles,  we  are  like  the  sailor  looking  at  his  compass  on 
deck.  It  is  right  for  us  to  do  this  ;  but  then  there  is  something 


♦ 


IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


11 


more  for  us  to  do ;  for  if  we  trust  to  our  own  understanding  of 
the  Bible,  we  shall  be  sure  to  get  wrong.  This  is  like  having 
nothing  but  a  compass  on  deck.  But  if  we  pray  earnestly  to 
God  to  help  us  to  understand  what  we  read  in  our  Bibles,  then 
we  are  like  the  sailor  when  he  looks  to  the  compass  up  aloft 
for  guidance.  This  is  the  only  way  for  us  to  get  on  in  safety. 
Then  let  us  read  the  Bible  diligently  every  day,  for  this  is  our 
compass.  But  when  we  do  this,  let  us  look  up  to  God  in  prayer, 
that  we  may  understand  what  we  read.  If  we  do  this  we  shall 
be  sure  to  go  right,  and  get  safe  to  the  heavenly  harbor  at  last. 
Bemember  how  carefully  the  sailor  watches  his  compass,  and  how 
earnestly  he  looks  aloft  for  his  surest  guidance,  and  let  us  imitate 
his  example  in  these  respects. 

We  made  a  very  short  stay  in  England.  I  will  not  stop  now 
to  tell  about  that.  Hurrying  over  to  France,  we  passed  rapidly 
through  that  country,  and  then  along  down  the  western  coast 
of  Italy.  I  will  only  stop  to  speak  of  one  visit  that  we  made  in 
the  course  of  this  journey.  This  was  at  the  city  of  Pisa,  with 
its  celebrated  Leaning  Tower. 

The  steamer  in  which  we  were  sailing  stopped  for  a  day  at 
the  city  of  Leghorn.  As  we  had  nothing  to  do  till  the  steamer 
started  again,  we  concluded  to  spend  the  day  in  visiting  the  old 
city  of  Pisa,  which  is  only  half  an  hour’s  ride  by  the  railway 
from  Leghorn.  This  town  of  Pisa  contains  some  very  interest¬ 
ing  buildings.  Of  these  the  most  curious  one  is  the  leaning 
tower.  Almost  everybody  has  heard  about  this  famous  tower. 
Here  is  a  picture  of  it.  It  is  seven  hundred  years  old,  having 
been  built  nearly  three  hundred  years  before  Columbus  discov¬ 
ered  America.  It  is  179  feet  high,  and  is  built  of  solid  marble. 
There  are  six  high  stories  in  it,  each  of  which  is  supported  by  a 
circular  row  of  marble  columns.  There  is  a  flight  of  stone  stairs 
inside  the  tower,  leading  to  the  top  of  it ;  and  these  stairs  con¬ 
tain  294  stejis.  The  tower  is  built  near  a  large  church  to  which 
it  belongs,  and  is  used  as  the  bell-tower  of  the  church,  or  instead 
of  a  steeple.  On  the  top  of  it  are  a  number  of  bells,  the  largest 
of  which  is  said  to  weigh  twelve  thousand  pounds.  But  the 


12 


ILLUSTRATED  RAMBLES 


most  curious  thing  about  this  tower  is,  that  instead  of  standing 
straight  up,  as  towers  generally  do,  it  leans  over  on  one  side, 
just  as  if  it  were  going  to  fall.  This  is  what  has  given  it  the 
name  it  bears, — the  leaning  tower  of  Pisa.  And  it  leans  not  a 
little  either.  If  a  straight  line  were  let  down  on  the  leaning 
side,  from  the  top  of  the  tower  to  the  bottom,  it  is  said  there 
would  be  a  difference  of  about  thirteen  feet  between  the  top  and 
the  bottom.  I  mean  by  this  that  the  top  of  the  tower  leans 
over  thirteen  feet  from  where  it  would  be  if  it  were  straight. 
This  is  a  great  deal  for  such  a  high  tower  to  lean. 

But  perhajDS  some  of  you  may  be  ready  to  ask,  “  How  came 
this  tower  to  lean  so  ?”  Ah !  that  is  a  question  which  a  great 
many  people  have  asked.  Every  one  who  visits  the  tower  asks 
this  question.  But  it  is  much  easier  to  ask  it  than  to  answer  it. 
The  fact  is,  nobody  is  able  to  answer  it.  There  is  no  one  living 
now  who  can  tell  how  the  tower  came  to  lean  as  it  does.  Borne 
think  that  the  foundation  of  the  tower  has  sunk  on  one  side, 
and  this  is  the  reason  why  it  leans.  Others  think  that  it  was 
built  from  the  beginning  to  lean,  just  as  it  does  now,  and  that 
the  builder  wanted  to  see  how  much  he  could  make  a  tower  to 
lean  without  falling  over.  Which  of  these  opinions  is  the  right 
one  I  cannot  pretend  to  say ;  but  one  thing  is  very  certain,  the 
tower  does  lean.  The  tower  in  Pisa  is  a  leaning  tower. 

Well,  but  what  good  will  it  do  to  see  this  tower  ?  or  what  use 
can  be  made  of  it  by  writing  about  it  ?  While  I  was  looking 
at  that  leaning  tower,  it  led  me  to  think  a  good  deal  about  that 
Tower  that  does  not  lean.  Jesus  is  spoken  of  in  the  Bible  as 
such  a  tower.  David  calls  Him  his  “  high  tower.”  Ps.  xviii.  1. 

And  it  is  interesting  to  think  of  some  of  the  points  of  differ¬ 
ence  between  this  tower  of  Pisa  and  the  Tower  of  which  the 
Bible  tells  us,  or  between  the  tower  that  leans  and  the  Tower 
that  does  not  lean. 

The  first  difference  between  them  is  in  their  position.  The  one 
leans,  while  the  other  is  straight.  It  is  a  very  curious  thing  to 
come  and  look  at  a  leaning  tower ;  but  if  we  had  to  live  on  it, 
we  should  find  it  very  awkward.  It  would  make  us  feel  very 


IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


13 


unsafe  all  the  time.  When  I  got  to  the  upper  part  of  this 
tower,  I  would  not  have  gone  round  the  walk  on  the  outside, 
where  there  was  no  railings  between  the  columns,  for  all  the 
wealth  in  Pisa.  It  seemed  as  though  one  would  certainly  slip 
off  and  fall  down ;  and  this  is  a  very  uncomfortable  feeling  to 
have  on  a  tower.  Put  when  we  come  to  Jesus,  the  Tower  of 
which  the  Bible  tells  us,  we  need  have  no  fear  of  this  kind. 
This  Tower  is  straight.  Those  who  get  on  it  are  safe.  Jesus 
puts  His  everlasting  arms  under  them,  and  spreads  His  shelter¬ 
ing  wings  over  them.  He  becomes  their  keeper,  and  this  is 
what  makes  them  safe. 

The  second  difference  between  these  two  towers  is  in  their  age. 
The  tower  of  Pisa  was  built  seven  hundred  years  ago.  That  is 
a  long  time  to  look  back  to.  But  it  is  nothing  compared  to  the 
age  of  the  Bible  Tower.  This  never  had  a  beginning.  If  any 
one  had  gone  to  Pisa  more  than  seven  hundred  years  ago,  he 
would  have  found  no  leaning  tower  there  then.  But  there 
never  was  a  time  when  this  Tower  of  the  Bible  did  not  exist. 
Jesus  says  of  Himself,  that  he  was  “  set  up  from  everlasting, 
from  the  beginning,  or  ever  the  earth  was.” — Prov.  viii.  23. 
And  the  apostle  tells  us  that  “  He  was  in  the  beginning  with 
God.” — John  i.  2. 

The  third  difference  between  the  towers  is  in  the  length  of  time 
they  will  last.  I  cannot  tell  how  long  the  tower  in  Pisa  will  last. 
But  it  looks  very  old.  It  is  very  old.  Time  and  the  weather 
have  done  it  much  harm.  Many  of  the  stones  are  very  much 
worn  away.  One  of  these  days  it  must  fall ;  and  then  there 
will  be  no  leaning  tower  in  Pisa.  But  Jesus,  the  Tower  of  the 
Bible,  does  not  grow  old.  Time  makes  no  difference  with  Him. 
He  is  the  “  same  yesterday,  to-day,  and  forever.” 

And  then  the  fourth  difference  between  these  towers  is  in  their 
uses.  The  tower  in  Pisa  is  only  of  use  for  two  things;  one  is  to 
ring  bells  on;  the  other  is  to  look  at.  No  one  lives  on  it.  No 
one  ever  thinks  of  going  to  it  for  shelter  or  defence,  for  help  or 
comfort.  But  how  different  is  it  with  Jesus,  the  blessed  and 
glorious  Tower,  about  which  we  read  in  the  Bible!  Jesus  is  a 


14 


ILLUSTRATED  RAMBLES 


tower  for  his  people  to  live  in.  And  He  not  only  gives  life  to 
those  who  come  to  Him,  but  pardon  and  peace,  protection  and 
shelter,  help  and  comfort,  and  every  blessing  they  need  to  make 
them  happy,  both  while  they  live  in  this  world  and  when  they 
come  to  die.  Let  us  all  get  on  this  Bible  Tower,  and  we  shall 
find  that  the  words  of  the  hymn  will  then  be  true  in  reference 
to  us,  for — 

“  There ,  safe  we  shall  abide ; 

There  sweet  will  he  our  rest, 

And  every  longing  satisfied, 

With  full  salvation  blest.” 

After  leaving  Leghorn  we  went  to  Naples,  and  from  there  to 
Messina,  on  the  Island  of  Sicily.  There  we  took  another 
steamer  and  sailed  across  the  Mediterranean  Sea,  to  the  cele¬ 
brated  town  of  Alexandria.  While  stopping  here,  we  took  a 
clonkey-ride  through  the  town,  and  went  to  see  the  famous 
“  Pompey’s  Pillar ”  and  “Cleopatra’s  Needle.”  These  are  two 
well-known  columns,  which  have  stood  there  for  more  than 
eighteen  hundred  years. 

The  next  day  we  started  by  the  railroad,  and  after  an  inte¬ 
resting  ride  through  the  northern  part  of  Egypt  and  across 
several  branches  of  the  Nile,  we  came  to  the  city  of  Cairo. 

This  city  is  situated  on  the  Nile,  that  famous  river  about 
which  we  read  so  much  in  the  Bible.  It  was  in  this  part  of 
Egypt  that  the  land  of  Goshen  was  situated,  which  Pharaoh 
gave  to  Joseph,  for  his  father  Jacob,  and  his  brethren  with  their 
families,  to  live  in.  And  it  was  here,  when  the  children  of 
Israel  had  increased  greatly,  and  another  Pharaoh  arose  who 
“  knew  not  Joseph,”  that  they  were  made  the  slaves  of  the 
Egyptians,  and  were  compelled  to  do  such  hard  work  for  their 
masters,  in  making  bricks  and  building  cities  for  them.  And 
you  see  the  people  in  this  country  making  bricks,  to-day,  in  just 
the  same  way  in  which  the  Israelites  used  to  make  them.  We 
read  in  the  5th  chapter  of  Exodus  that  they  used  straw  in 
making  bricks ;  and  when  Pharaoh  took  away  their  straw,  and 
still  required  them  to  make  the  same  number,  or  “  tale  of 


IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


15 


bricks,”  as  before,  they  were  in  great  trouble.  I  passed  by  a 
brick-field  one  day,  and  saw  some  men  making  bricks.  They 
had  a  lot  of  clay  on  one  side,  and  a  quantity  of  straw  cut  up 
into  short  pieces  on  the  other.  Then  they  would  take  a  hand¬ 
ful  of  straw  and  mix  it  up  with  the  clay,  before  it  was  put  into 
the  boxes  or  moulds  which  were  to  give  it  the  proper  shape  and 
size.  The  straw  is  put  into  the  clay  to  make  it  hold  together 
better,  just  as  our  plasterers  put  hair  into  their  mortar  for  the 
same  purpose.  These  bricks  are  not  burnt  as  ours  are,  but  only 
dried  in  the  sun.  When  I  saw  those  men  at  work,  it  made  me 
think  about  the  Israelites  ;  and  I  felt  how  true  the  Bible  history 
is  in  all  the  accounts  which  it  gives  us ! 

It  was  on  this  river  Nile,  perhaps  not  far  from  where  we 
stayed,  that  Jochebed,  the  mother  of  Moses,  lived,  and  where 
she  hid  her  child  for  three  months ;  and  here,  when  she  could 
not  hide  him  any  longer,  that  she  made  the  ark  of  bulrushes, 
and  laid  it  “  in  the  flags  by  the  river’s  brink.”  It  was  here, 
too,  that  God  sent  Pharaoh’s  daughter  to  find  the  floating  baby, 
and  then  to  adopt  him  as  her  own  child ;  so  that  Moses  became 
the  “  son  of  Pharaoh’s  daughter.”  It  was  only  about  six  miles 
from  Cairo  that  Joseph  became  acquainted  with  the  young 
woman  whom  he  married,  “  Asenath,  the  daughter  of  Poti-pherah, 
priest  of  On.” — Gen.  xli.  45.  That  was  the  most  famous  place 
of  learning  in  the  world  then.  That  was  the  place  where  Moses 
went  to  school  and  received  his  education.  There  it  was  that 
he  became  “  learned  in  all  the  wisdom  of  the  Egyptians.” — Acts 
vii.  22.  How  wonderfully  God  orders  things  so  as  to  prepare 
men  for  the  work  he  has  for  them  to  do !  Moses  would  not 
have  been  fitted  to  be  the  deliverer  and  ruler  and  lawgiver  of 
the  Israelites  unless  he  had  had  all  that  learning  and  wisdom. 
When  he  was  born,  if  any  one  had  told  his  mother  that  her  son 
was  to  have  such  an  education,  she  would  no  doubt  have  said 
that  it  was  impossible.  It  was  so  to  her,  or  to  her  husband ; 
but  nothing  is  impossible  with  God. 

This  city  of  Cairo  is  a  very  large  city.  It  contains  about 
four  hundred  thousand  people.  And  they  are  the  strangest- 


16 


ILLUSTRATED  RAMBLES 


looking  people  you  ever  saw.  Some  of  the  streets  are  so 
narrow,  that  a  person  may  stand  in  the  middle,  and  by  reaching 
out  his  arms  almost  touch  the  houses  on  both  sides  at  once. 
But  narrow  as  they  are,  they  are  crowded  with  people,  buying 
and  selling  in  them ;  and  with  donkeys  and  camels,  hurrying 
along  with  great  loads  of  different  kinds  of  things. 

I  saw  a  great  many  things  here  that  reminded  me  of  what 
we  read  about  in  the  Bible,  and  that  furnish  very  interesting 
illustrations  of  those  things.  There  are  two  especially  of  which 
I  wish  now  to  speak.  The  pictures  of  them  are  taken  from 
photographs  bought  at  Cairo. 

The  first  is  a  picture  of  a  young  Arab  boy.  He  has  a  red 
Fez  cajD  on  his  head,  a  long  white  mantle  over  his  shoulders, 
and  a  long  rod,  or  staff,  in  his  right  hand.  He  is  what  we 
would  call  a  runner.  There  are  great  numbers  of  them  in  the 
streets  of  Cairo.  They  are  straight,  strong,  good-looking  boys. 
When  people  ride  in  carriages  here — not  through  the  crooked 
and  narrow  streets  of  which  I  have  spoken,  but  others  that  are 
newer  and  wider — they  have  one  of  these  boys  to  run  before  the 
carriage.  As  he  does  this,  he  keeps  waving  his  rod  and  calling 
to  the  people  to  get  out  of  the  way.  Perhaps  you  will  not 
wonder  at  this  so  much  when  told  that  even  the  widest  streets 
here  are  what  we  should  call  narrow.  None  of  them  have  any 
sidewalks  or  stone  pavements.  The  streets  are  full  of  people, 
all  in  the  middle ;  and  as  the  wheels  of  a  carriage  roll  along 
without  making  any  noise,  either  the  driver  would  have  to  walk 
his  horses,  or  else  he  would  be  all  the  time  running  over  some¬ 
body.  And  when  I  saw  one  of  these  runners  hurrying  on 
before  a  carriage,  I  was  reminded  of  what  we  read  in  the  Bible 
about  the  prophet  Elijah.  You  remember,  on  one  occasion, 
when  there  had  been  no  rain  in  the  land  of  Israel  for  more 
than  three  years,  Elijah  prayed  to  God  to  send  rain.  After 
praying,  he  sent  his  servant  to  the  top  of  Mount  Carmel  to  see 
if  there  was  any  sign  of  its  coming.  Presently  he  said  that  he 
saw  “  a  little  cloud  like  a  man’s  hand  ”  rising  from  the  sea. 
Then  Elijah  sent  word  to  the  king  to  get  into  his  chariot  and 


Arab  Boy.  P.  16.  Arab  Water-carrier. 


NN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


17 


hasten  home,  before  the  rain  should  stop  him.  He  did  so  ;  and 
we  read  in  1  Kings  xviii.  4G,  “  And  the  hand  of  the  Lord  was 
on  Elijah  ;  and  he  girded  up  his  loins,  and  ran  before  Aliab  to 
the  entrance  of  Jezreel.”  Here  we  have,  in  the  customs  of  these 
people  to-day,  a  striking  illustration  of  this  incident  in  the  his¬ 
tory  which  the  Bible  gives  us. 

The  second  picture  represents  an  Arab  water-carrier.  You 
remember  that,  in  one  of  his  sermons,  our  Saviour  told  his  dis¬ 
ciples  that  no  man  would  put  new  wine  into  old  bottles,  because 
the  bottles  would  burst,  and  the  wine  would  be  spilt.- — Matt.  ix. 
17.  Now  with  glass  bottles  such  as  we  use,  this  would  not  be 
the  case.  Old  bottles,  with  us,  so  loug  as  they  are  not  cracked, 
are  just  as  good  as  new  ones.  But  it  was  very  different  with 
the  Jews  in  our  Saviour’s  time.  The  bottles  they  used  were 
made  of  the  skins  of  animals.  When  these  bottles  were  old  or 
unused,  they  would  dry  up  and  crack.  Then  if  wine  or  water 
was  put  into  them,  it  would  all  run  out  and  be  spilled.  And 
these  are  the  kind  of  bottles  used  in  this  country  at  the  present 
day.  Nearly  all  the  drinking  water  now  used  in  Cairo  is 
brought  from  the  river  Nile;  and  it  is  carried  in  just  such 
bottles  as  you  see  the  man  in  this  picture  carrying  on  his  back. 
This  is  a  bottle  made  out  of  the  skin  of  a  goat.  The  head  and 
feet  of  the  animal  are  cut  off.  Then  the  skin  is  removed  from 
the  body,  and  it  is  carefully  sewed  up,  leaving  an  opening  at 
the  neck,  or  at  one  of  the  feet,  and  the  “ bottle  ”  is  ready  for  use. 
You  cannot  go  out  into  the  streets  here  without  meeting  men 
carrying  these  skin  bottles.  When  the  skins  are  very  large, 
they  are  carried  on  the  backs  of  donkeys,  and  it  is  very  inte¬ 
resting  to  be  meeting  all  the  time  with  such  an  illustration  of 
the  meaning  of  our  Saviour’s  teaching. 

And  so  in  these  pictures  we  have  good  illustrations  of  different 
passages  in  the  Bible. 


2 


18 


ILLUSTRATED  RAMBLES 


CHAPTER  II. 

THE  PYRAMIDS  AND  THEIR  LESSONS — INCIDENTS  AT  THE  PYRA¬ 
MIDS —  THE  FATAL  RUN — THE  GOOD  MELICAN  MAN  —  TIIE 
BATTLE  OF  THE  SHEIKS. 

Egypt  is  a  wonderful  land.  It  is  connected  in  our  minds 
with  our  earliest  recollections  of  the  Bible.  Some  of  the  most 
interesting  stories  of  the  Bible  are  so  inwoven  with  this  land, 
that  we  can  never  think  of  them  without  thinking  of  Egypt ; 
and  any  reference  to  Egypt  always  recalls  those  stories.  It 
was  to  this  land  that  Joseph  was  brought  as  a  sorrowing 
stranger,  when  sold  into  bondage  by  his  cruel  and  envious 
brethren.  It  was  here  that  he  resisted  so  manfully  the  great 
temptation  to  which  he  was  exposed.  It  was  here  that  he  lay 
so  long  in  prison,  when  God,  by  his  mysterious  providence,  was 
preparing  him  for  the  exalted  position  of  usefulness  and  honor 
which  he  was  afterwards  to  occupy.  It  was  here  that  his 
strange  dreams  were  so  wondrously  fulfilled,  when  his  brethren, 
all  ignorant  of  his  relation  to  them,  came  humbly  bowing  down 
and  making  obeisance  before  him.  It  was  here  that  the  chil¬ 
dren  of  Israel  were  held  so  long  in  cruel  bondage,  and  were 
delivered  at  last  in  that  wonderful  way,  which  stands  to  the 
present  time  without  anything  to  be  compared  to  it  in  the 
history  of  the  world.  And  it  was  here,  too,  that  our  blessed 
Saviour,  in  his  infant  days,  found  a  refuge,  with  his  fattier  and 
mother,  from  the  cruel  designs  of  that  wicked  king  Herod. 

Egypt  is  wonderful  for  its  own  history,  too,  as  well  as  for  its 
connection  with  the  history  of  the  Bible.  It  is  wonderful  for 
the  learning  of  which  it  was  once  the  seat,  and  for  the  sur¬ 
prising  works  of  art  which  it  has  produced.  Among  all  these 
there  is  nothing  which  has  excited  more  surprise  and  wonder 
than  the  pyramids,  of  which  I  wish  now  to  speak. 

We  spent  a  day,  while  stopping  at  Cairo,  in  making  an 
excursion  to  the  largest  of  the  pyramids,  and  it  was  an  exceed¬ 
ingly  interesting  day.  These  are  called  the  Pyramids  of  Ghee- 


IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


19 


zeh ,  or  Jhizeh.  There  are  three  in  this  group,  though  our 
picture  only  takes  in  two.  It  is  the  larger  of  these  two,  known 
as  “  the  Great  Pyramid,”  to  which  we  now  particularly  refer. 
We  climbed  up  to  the  top  of  it,  and  afterwards  entered  the  dark 
passage  which  leads  to  the  silent  and  mysterious  chamber  in 
the  interior  of  it. 

The  ascent  is  very  toilsome,  not  owing  so  much  to  the  height 
of  the  structure,  as  to  the  great  size  of  the  stones  of  which  it  is 
composed.  It  is  just  like  going  up  a  pair  of  very  steep  stairs, 
every  step  of  which  is  from  2  to  3  or  31  feet  high.  In  going 
up,  each  visitor  has  three  Arabs  assigned  him  as  guides,  or 
attendants.  Two  of  these  go  on  before  you,  taking  hold  of  each 
of  your  hands,  while  the  third  pushes  you  up  from  behind. 
And  when  this  comes  to  be  continued  till  you  gain  the  height 
of  460  feet— an  elevation  as  great  as  that  of  two  or  three  ordi¬ 
nary  church  steeples  set  one  above  the  other — it  gets  to  be  very 
fatiguing  before  reaching  the  top.  The  present  height  of  the 
largest  pyramid  is  represented  by  the  above  figures.  As  origi¬ 
nally  built  it  measured  480  feet.  But  then  it  had  an  outside 
covering  of  smooth,  polished  stones.  These  are  said  to  have 
been  removed  by  the  Caliphs  of  Egypt  for  houses  and  other 
buildings  erected  in  Cairo.  The  sides  of  this  pyramid,  at  its 
base,  measure  746  feet  each,  which  make  a  square  about  the 
size  of  a  twelve  acre  field.  This  immense  space,  to  the  height 
above  stated,  is  built  up  with  solid  stone.  The  pyramid  is 
founded  on  the  original  rock.  The  stones  of  which  it  is  built 
are  of  great  size,  and  are  cemented  firmly  together.  It  is  one 
of  the  largest  and  oldest  works  of  man  to  be  found  anywhere  in 
our  world. 

A  great  many  books  have  been  written  about  the  pyramids. 
Learned  men  have  differed  very  much  in  their  opinions  about 
the  time  when  they  were  built,  about  the  names  of  the  persons 
who  built  them,  and,  especially,  about  the  object  for  which 
they  were  built.  The  general  opinion  on  this  last  point,  and 
probably  the  correct  one,  is  that  they  were  designed  as  the 
tombs  of  the  kings  who  built  them.  Some  have  supposed  that 


20 


ILLUSTRATED  RAMBLES 


they  were  designed  for  the  purpose  of  making  astronomical 
observations ;  and  an  English  gentleman  has  lately  written  a 
hook  to  prove  that  the  real  design  of  the  great  pyramid  was  to 
preserve  the  true  standard  of  measure.  He  goes  into  an  elabo¬ 
rate  calculation  to  show  that  the  dimensions  of  the  central 
chamber  of  this  pyramid  and  the  stone  coffer  which  it  con¬ 
tained  were  so  arranged  as  to  afford  to  those  who  visited  it, 
from  among  all  nations,  the  true  and  unchanging  standard 
of  measure.  We  shall  enter  into  no  speculations  about  these 
different  theories,  but,  assuming  that  the  common  opinion  is  the 
correct  one,  which  looks  upon  the  pyramids  as  designed  to  be 
the  monuments  of  those  who  built  them,  shall  proceed  to  draw 
out  from  these  stupendous  piles  some  of  the  lessons  which  they 
teach.  These  huge  pyramids  were  built  by  men  who  were 
living  and  laboring  only  to  please  themselves.  We  may  well 
regard  the  pyramids,  therefore,  as  illustrating  the  difference 
between  working  for  Jesus  and  working  for  self.  And,  as  we 
look  at  the  pyramids  and  their  history,  we  see  this  difference 
illustrated  in  several  interesting  and  instructive  ways. 

In  the  first  place,  we  learn  from  the  history  of  the  pyramids 
that  working  for  Jesus  is  much  easier  than  working  for  self. 

When  the  king  who  built  the  great  pyramid  began  that  work, 
he  had  a  wonderful  amount  of  hard  labor  before  him.  The 
stones  employed  in  building  it  were  brought  a  long  distance, 
from  some  quarries  in  Arabia.  Herodotus,  the  oldest  historian 
in  the  world,  outside  of  the  Bible,  says  that  a  new  road  had  to 
be  made  for  transporting  those  stones,  and  that  a  hundred 
thousand  men  were  employed,  for  ten  years,  in  making  that 
road.  The  same  writer  tells  us  that  three  hundred  and  sixty 
thousand  men  were  employed,  for  twenty  years,  in  getting  out 
the  stones  for  the  great  pyramid,  and  in  finishing  the  building 
of  it.  Now,  if  we  remember  how  hard  the  Israelites  had  to 
work,  when  they  were  slaves  in  Egypt,  under  their  cruel  task¬ 
masters,  or  if  we  could  see  the  Egyptian  laborers  of  the  pre¬ 
sent  day  working  in  the  same  way,  while  men  stand  by  with 
long  sticks  or  whips  in  their  hands  with  which  they  beat  the 


IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


21 


poor  men  and  boys,  if  they  think  they  are  not  working  hard 
enough,  then  we  could  understand  how  much  hard  work  had  to 
be  done,  and  how  much  cruel  suffering  had  to  be  borne,  by  the 
many  thousands  of  men  employed  to  build  the  pyramids.  The 
man  for  whom  they  toiled  was  thinking  only  of  himself,  and 
caring  only  for  himself.  The  sighs  and  groans  and  tears  and 
sufferings  of  the  multitudes  who  were  toiling  for  him  he  never 
thought  of  or  cared  for.  And  though  he  had  not  to  work  with 
his  own  hands,  as  the  poor  slaves  did  who  toiled  over  the  stones 
of  the  pyramids,  yet  he  must  have  had  a  great  deal  of  anxiety 
and  care  in  managing  the  whole  business,  and  in  getting  every¬ 
thing  done  as  he  desired  it. 

But  if  we  are  working  for  Jesus,  instead  of  for  ourselves,  how 
different  our  position  is  from  that  of  the  builder  of  the  pyra¬ 
mids  !  Then,  whether  we  are  rulers  or  subjects,  kings  or 
peasants,  rich  men  or  poor,  we  are  saved  from  the  temptation 
of  engaging  in  any  such  foolish  works.  Our  great  object  in 
life  is  to  please  Him.  In  trying  to  do  this  we  shall  be  saved 
from  the  desire  to  oppress  or  injure  any  one.  We  shall  take 
Jesus  Himself  for  our  example,  in  the  spirit  which  He  mani¬ 
fested  when  he  said,  “  I  came  down  from  heaven,  not  to  do  mine 
own  will,  but  the  will  of  Him  that  sent  me.”  It  is  the  love 
of  Jesus  that  will  lead  us  to  desire  to  do  this  will ;  and  it  is  the 
almighty  grace  of  Jesus  which  will  help  us  to  do  it.  And  it  is 
the  influence  of  this  love  and  grace  that  will  make  us  feel  how 
true  the  words  of  Jesus  were  when  he  said,  “  Take  my  yoke 
upon  you  and  learn  of  me :  for  my  yoke  is  easy,  and  my  burden 
is  light.”  And  so,  when  we  think  of  the  immense  amount 
of  toil  and  suffering  which  the  building  of  the  pyramids  cost, 
we  have  a  good  illustration  of  the  truth  that  working  for  Jesus 
is  easier  than  working  for  self. 

But  in  the  second  place,  we  may  learn  from  this  subject  that 
work  done  for  Jesus  is  more  enduring  than  work  done  for  self 

Nobody  knows  exactly  how  long  the  pyramids  have  stood. 
There  can  be  little  doubt,  however,  that  they  are  at  least 
between  three  and  four  thousand  years  old.  This  seems  like  a 


22 


ILLUSTRATED  RAMBLES 


very  long  time ;  and  so  it  is,  compared  with  the  duration 
of  most  of  the  works  of  men  with  which  we  are  acquainted. 
We  build  houses  and  churches  which  last  fifty  or  seventy  or  a 
hundred  years,  and  then  are  taken  down.  When  we  visit 
cathedrals  and  other  buildings  which  have  lasted  for  several 
hundred  years,  we  look  at  them  with  feelings  of  peculiar  inte¬ 
rest  and  veneration,  on  account  of  their  great  age.  And  yet,  in 
comparison  with  the  pyramids,  the  oldest  buildings  in  Europe 
are  only  like  infants  compared  with  old  men  of  the  age  of  80  or 
90  years.  But,  old  as  the  pyramids  are  in  themselves,  when  wTe 
compare  them  with  eternity  they  are  only  like  things  of  yester¬ 
day.  And  old  as  the  pyramids  are,  and  solid  and  substantial 
as  they  appear,  yet  the  time  will  come  when  they  will  be 
destroyed  and  the  very  memory  of  them  will  pass  away. 

The  Bible  tells  us  that  the  names  of  the  wicked,  and  their 
works  as  well,  shall  perish.  They  wTill  be  “  rooted  out.”  They 
will  all  pass  away,  like  the  visions  of  the  night,  and  no  trace 
of  them  will  be  left  on  the  earth.  No  works  that  men  do  for 
themselves  can  be  made  permanent  or  enduring.  They  cannot 
be  made  really  lasting.  They  are  only  like  names  written  on 
the  sand  by  the  seaside ;  the  waves  of  time  will  roll  over  them 
and  sweep  them  all  away. 

But  it  is  very  different  with  works  that  are  done  for  Jesus. 
These  may  not  be  known  on  earth,  but  they  are  all  known  in 
heaven.  Everything  that  is  done  for  Jesus,  even  down  to  “  a 
cup  of  cold  water”  given  to  one  of  the  least  of  his  followers, 
will  be  written  in  the  book  of  God’s  remembrance.  And 
nothing  that  is  written  there  will  ever  be  forgotten.  We  are 
told  that  “  the  righteous  shall  be  in  everlasting  remembrance.” 
And  this  is  true  of  the  name  of  every  follower  of  Jesus,  and 
of  all  the  works  he  has  done  out  of  love  to  Him.  What  pains 
men  take  to  have  their  names  and  deeds  remembered  when  they 
shall  have  passed  away !  But  no  matter  what  they  do,  it  is  all 
lost  labor  so  long  as  they  live  and  act  without  loving  and 
serving  God.  The  humblest  Christian  who  is  working  for 
Jesus  as  a  Sunday-school  missionary  or  teacher,  or  in  any  other 


IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


23 


way,  will  be  honored  of  God  and  have  his  works  remembered 
and  rewarded,  when  the  pyramids  and  their  builders,  and  all 
the  proudest  works  that  wicked,  God-forgetting  men  have  per¬ 
formed,  will  be  buried  in  forgetfulness.  Works  done  for  Jesus 
are  more  enduring  than  works  done  for  self. 

In  the  third  place,  the  history  of  the  pyramids  shows  us  that 
works  done  for  Jesus  are  more  honorable  than  works  done 
for  self. 

There  can  be  no  doubt  but  that  the  men  who  built  the  pyra¬ 
mids  thought  they  would  be  sure  to  gain  great  honor  and 
glory  to  their  names  by  means  of  the  huge  buildings  which 
they  erected.  As  long  as  those  vast  piles  of  solid  stones  re¬ 
mained,  they  supposed  that  their  names  would  be  connected 
with  them,  and  that  people  would  come  from  all  parts  of  the 
earth  to  look  at  the  pyramids,  and  talk  of  the  power  and 
wonder  at  the  greatness  of  the  men  who  built  them.  But  they 
were  greatly  mistaken  in  thinking  so.  The  pyramids  remain 
to  this  day,  indeed  ;  but  the  names  of  their  builders  bave  passed 
away.  No  one  can  tell  with  any  certainty  who  built  them. 
How  often  has  the  question  been  asked,  which  we  find  in  the 
“  Address  to  the  Mummy,” 

“  Was  Cheops  or  Oephrenes  architect 
Of  either  pyramid  that  bears  his  name?” 

But  though  so  often  asked,  no  one  can  answer  it.  The 
honor  which  those  old  kings  thought  to  secure  when  they 
built  the  pyramids  has  eluded  their  grasp,  like  a  shadow  when 
you  try  to  seize  it. 

How  different  it  is  with  those  who  work  for  Jesus !  He  says 
of  such,  “Them  that  honor  me  I  will  honor.”  We  have  an 
example  of  the  way  in  which  he  does  this,  in  Matt.  xxyi.  G-14. 
We  read  there  about  the  woman  who  brought  a  box  of  oint¬ 
ment  and  poured  it  on  his  head.  She  did  it  to  show  her  great 
love  to  Him.  Jesus  was  pleased  with  what  she  did,  and  he 
honors  this  woman  by  causing  the  good  work  she  had  done  to 
be  written  in  the  gospels,  and  thus  to  be  known  all  over  the 


24 


ILLUSTRATED  RAMBLES 


world  where  the  gospel  goes.  It  was  a  little  thing  which  this 
woman  did ;  but  it  gained  her  more  honor  than  the  builders 
of  the  pyramids  gained  by  all  the  time  and  money  and  labor 
spent  on  them.  This  woman  gained  “  the  honor  that  cometh 
from  God.”  There  is  no  honor  like  this.  Let  us  work  for 
Jesus,  and  then  this  honor  will  be  ours;  for  it  is  written, 
“  This  honor  have  all  his  saints.”  Ps.  cxlix.  9. 

And  then  lastly,  we  learn  from  the  history  of  the  pyramids 
that  working  for  Jesus  is  more  useful  than  working  for  self. 

It  is  impossible  to  calculate  the  amount  of  money  that  was 
spent  in  building  the  pyramids.  Herodotus  says  that  sixteen 
hundred  talents  of  gold  were  spent  in  buying  the  onions  and 
garlic  used  by  the  workmen  employed  on  the  great  pyramid. 
And  if  we  take  all  the  other  expenses  at  the  same  rate,  how 
enormous  the  whole  cost  must  have  been !  And  then,  out 
of  the  three  hundred  and  sixty  thousand  men  employed  for 
twenty  years  upon  it,  how  many  must  have  lost  their  lives  from 
the  hard  labor,  cruel  treatment,  and  exposure  to  which  they 
were  subjected !  And  what  was  it  all  for?  What  good  have 
the  pyramids  done  ?  Of  what  use  have  they  been  to  any  per¬ 
son  ?  What  instruction  have  they  given  ?  What  information 
have  they  afforded  to  those  who  are  ignorant  ?  What  comfort 
have  they  offered  to  those  in  trouble  ?  What  help  or  assistance 
to  those  in  need  ?  Their  tops  point  to  heaven,  indeed,  but  they 
have  never  taught  a  single  soul  how  to  get  there.  They  speak 
to  us  about  the  pride  and  selfishness  of  men,  but  they  utter  not 
a  word  about  the  character  of  God,  or  of  the  way  in  which  we 
are  to  please  and  serve  Him.  For  all  these  purposes  the  pyra¬ 
mids  are  utterly  useless.  The  money  and  time  and  labor 
spent  on  them  were  utterly  thrown  away.  The  men  who  built 
the  pyramids  were  working  for  themselves.  The  history  of  the 
pyramids  shows  how  useless  this  kind  of  working  is. 

How  different  it  is  with  those  who  work  for  Jesus !  Robert 
Railces  was  working  for  Jesus  when  he  established  the  first 
Sunday-school,  now  almost  a  hundred  years  ago.  And  who 
can  estimate  the  amount  of  good  that  has  been  done  in  the 


IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


25 


world  by  this  blessed  instrumentality  from  that  day  to  this? 
What  floods  of  light  have  been  spread  abroad !  How  many 
ignorant  ones  have  been  instructed !  How  many  sorrowing 
ones  have  been  comforted !  How  many  who  were  plagues  to 
society  have  been  made  good  and  useful !  How  many  who 
were  lost  have  been  saved,  and  what  glory  has  been  given  to 
God  in  consequence  of  the  usefulness  of  that  one  good  man,  in 
the  work  he  did  for  Jesus !  And  this  is  only  a  single  illustra¬ 
tion  out  of  multitudes  that  might  be  given.  Every  Sunday- 
school  in  the  land  is  an  illustration  of  the  same  kind.  Every 
Sunday-school  missionary  and  teacher  is  an  illustration,  too, 
of  this  truth,  that  working  for  Jesus  is  useful  work.  Then  let 
us  all  engage  earnestly  in  this  blessed  work.  And  when  we 
think  of  the  great  pyramids,  let  us  remember  what  an  illustra¬ 
tion  they  afford  that  working  for  Jesus  is  easier  than  working 
for  self;  that  it  is  more  lasting ,  more  honorable,  and  more 
useful. 

And  now,  having  spoken  of  the  lessons  suggested  by  the 
pyramids,  I  wish  to  refer  to  one  or  two  little  incidents  which 
occurred  in  connection  with  our  visit. 

As  we  stood  on  the  top  of  the  great  pyramid,  glad  of  the 
opportunity  of  resting  from  the  labor  of  our  long  and  toilsome 
effort  to  clamber  up  there,  one  of  the  attendant  Arabs  came 
to  us,  and  offered,  if  each  of  us  would  give  him  a  franc,  to  run 
down  the  side  of  the  pyramid  on  which  we  stood,  and  up  to  the 
top  of  the  second  pyramid  adjoining  it,  in  ten  minutes!  It 
seemed  incredible,  but  we  were  assured  it  was  often  done.  Yet 
the  danger  seemed  so  great,  that  we  felt  unwilling  to  assume 
the  responsibility  of  tempting  any  man  to  encounter  it. 

Before  leaving  Cairo,  we  learned  that  on  the  very  day  after 
our  visit  to  the  pyramid,  a  party  of  tourists,  while  standing 
where  we  had  stood,  had  the  same  offer  made  to  them.  They 
accepted  it.  The  Arab  started.  He  flew  down  the  sido  of  the 
great  pyramid  like  the  wind.  In  good  time  to  accomplish  the 
perilous  feat,  he  was  nearing  the  top  of  the  second  pyramid, 
when  his  foot  slipped.  He  fell  down  the  side  of  the  vast  struc- 


26 


ILLUSTRATED  RAMBLES 


ture,  and  was  killed  !  Then  we  felt  thankful  for  the  course  we 
had  taken  on  the  preceding  day. 

A  glance  at  the  second  pyramid  in  our  picture  will  explain 
this.  There  may  he  seen  the  remains  of  the  outer  coating 
of  smooth  stones  which  originally  covered  all  the  pyramids. 
These  have  been  all  removed  from  the  great  pyramid.  A 
portion  of  them  still  covers  the  upper  part  of  the  second  pyra¬ 
mid.  This  presents  a  smooth  surface  for  the  foot  to  tread  on. 
It  was  here  that  the  unfortunate  Arab  fell,  and  thus  lost  his 
life. 

An  amusing  incident  occurred  in  connection  with  our  ascent 
of  the  pyramid. 

When  a  party  of  tourists  are  about  to  make  this  ascent,  the 
sheik  who  enjoys  the  privilege  of  levying  contributions  on  these 
relics  of  antiquity,  details  three  Bedouin  Arabs  to  attend  on 
each  visitor,  and  aid  him  in  making  the  toilsome  ascent.  Two 
of  these  go  before  you,  each  having  hold  of  one  hand,  and  so 
pulling  you  up.  The  third  follows  after  you,  and  pushes  you 
up  from  behind.  As  soon  as  you  start  on  your  way,  these  men 
begin  to  clamor  for  “  backsheesh .”  To  stay  this  clamor,  I 
told  my  men  that  if  they  said  anything  more  about  “  back¬ 
sheesh,”  I  should  give  them  none,  but  that  if  they  were  quiet 
I  would  pay  them  when  we  came  down.  From  consulting 
Murray’s  guide-book,  it  appeared  that  two  francs  apiece  was 
considered  a  proper  sum  to  give,  and  this  I  had  made  up  my 
mind  to  give  to  each  of  my  attendants. 

One  of  our  company,  however,  Brother  C - ,  adopted  a 

different  policy.  It  may  have  been  that  he  was  more  generous 
than  the  rest  of  us,  or  it  may  have  been  that  a  higher  sense 
of  danger  suggested  to  him  that  “  the  better  part  of  valor  was 
discretion.”  As  he  looked  down  from  the  dizzy  heights  up 
which  he  was  climbing,  the  thought  may  have  occurred  to  him, 
“  How  easy  it  would  be  for  one  of  these  fellows  to  give  me  a 
push,  and  I  should  go  down  a  great  deal  faster  than  I  am  going 
up,  and  when  I  got  to  the  bottom  I  should  not  be  feeling  by 
any  means  so  comfortable  as  I  did  before  starting.”  So  he 


IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


27 


thought  it  best  to  conciliate  their  good  will  by  dealing  out  to 
each  of  them  a  very  liberal  backsheesh  before  reaching  the  top. 
While  we  were  resting  there,  these  men  informed  their  com¬ 
panions  of  the  good  fortune  which  had  befallen  them. 

On  our  way  down,  the  rest  of  the  company  gave  to  each 
attendant  the  fee  suggested  in  the  guide-book,  two  francs  apiece. 
Their  long  faces  and  blank  looks  showed  how  great  their  disap¬ 
pointment  was.  Holding  the  despised  trifle  in  the  left  hand, 
they  gazed  contemptuously  at  it  for  a  moment,  and  then  point¬ 
ing  to  our  Brother  C - ,  exclaimed :  “  You  ask  you  friend 

what  he  give.  He  good  Melican  man”  (American),  “he  give 
plenty  backsheesh.”  But  the  appeal  was  in  vain.  We  re¬ 
solved  to  stand  by  the  authority  of  the  guide-book.  As  for  our 

Brother  C - ,  we  cordially  endorsed  the  honorable  title  he 

had  won  for  himself  on  that  classic  ground,  where  “  forty  cen¬ 
turies  were  looking  down  upon  him.”  He  deserves  it  well ;  for 
in  a  better  and  a  broader  sense  than  those  lucre-loving  Arabs 
intended,  all  his  friends  will  agree  in  the  opinion  that  he  is  in 
very  deed  and  truth  “  a  good  Melican  man.” 

How  often  it  happens  that  the  “  enchantment  which  distance 
lends  to  our  view,”  either  of  persons  or  places,  is  dispelled  when 
we  come  to  take  a  closer  look  at  them !  How  many  people 
think  that  an  Arab  sheik  must  be  an  interesting  character — a 
noble  specimen  of  humanity !  The  scene  which  met  us  on  our 
descent  from  the  pyramids  was  not  calculated  to  strengthen  any 
such  impression.  A  fierce  contest  was  waging  between  two 
neighboring  sheiks,  in  which  one  or  both  might  have  come  to 
grief,  if  some  of  their  followers  had  not  interfered  to  separate 
them.  On  inquiring  of  our  guide,  Ben  ITassan,  about  the  cause 
of  this  conflict,  he  informed  us  that  one  of  those  noble  chieftains 
had  lost — not  a  bag  of  gold,  nor  a  casket  of  diamonds,  nor  a 
favorite  steed,  but — a  piece  of  candle,  which  he  charged  the 
other  chief  with  stealing ! 


28 


ILLUSTRATED  RAMBLES 


CHAPTER  III. 

FROM  PORT  SAID  TO  JAFFA — LANDING - ARRANGEMENTS  FOR  OUR 

JOURNEY — HISTORY  AND  DESCRIPTION  OF  JAFFA— HOUSE  OF 
SIMON  THE  TANNER — THE  FIRST  DAY’S  JOURNEY — ENCAMP¬ 
MENT  AT  RAMLEII. 

We  embarked  on  board  a  French  steamer  at  Port  Said,  on 
the  evening  of  Tuesday,  March  8th,  1870.  This  port  is  the 
entrance,  on  the  Mediterranean  side,  to  the  great  canal  of  Suez, 
one  of  the  greatest  triumphs  of  modern  engineering.  It  con¬ 
nects  together  the  waters  of  the  Mediterranean  and  the  Red 
Sea,  and  thus  makes  an  island  of  what  has  hitherto  been  known 
in  geography  as  the  continent  of  Africa.  It  is  destined,  un¬ 
doubtedly,  to  revolutionize  the  commerce  of  the  eastern  world, 
by  avoiding  the  necessity  of  the  long  voyage  round  the  Cape 
of  Good  Hope,  and  making  the  Isthmus  of  Suez  the  great  high¬ 
way  for  the  trade  of  Europe  with  the  Orient. 

The  night  of  our  embarking  was  calm  and  still.  “The  great 
sea  westward”  was  as  smooth  and  placid  as  a  garden  pond; 
and  on  awaking  at  five  o’clock  the  next  morning;  we  found  our 
steamer  approaching  the  land  in  full  view  of  Jaffa,  the  port 
of  entrance  for  Jerusalem.  The  sun  was  rising  beautifully  as 
we  came  to  anchor,  shedding  a  flood  of  golden  glory  over  the 
distant  hills  of  Judea. 

We  found  no  difficulty  in  landing.  By  the  time  we  were  at 
anchor  a  whole  fleet  of  boats  had  come  out  from  the  shore,  and 
their  noisy  occupants,  dark-hued,  half-naked  Arabs,  were 
clamoring  as  boisterously  for  a  job  as  the  importunate  hack- 
men  do  on  a  steamboat  landing  in  Hew  York  or  Philadelphia. 
We  soon  had  a  boat  engaged,  and  were  conveyed,  with  our 
baggage,  to  the  shore.  Immediately  on  landing,  we  proceeded 
to  the  American  Hotel.  This  is  about  half  a  mile  outside  the 
walls  of  the  town,  on  the  north.  It  is  in  the  midst  of  a  settle¬ 
ment  made  by  the  American  colony,  which  came  here  several 
years  ago  to  engage  in  agricultural  pursuits.  The  colony,  as  is 


IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


29 


well  known,  proved  an  utter  failure.  Some  of  those  connected 
with  it  died  from  the  effect  of  sickness  and  want.  Others,  left 
in  utter  poverty,  were  sent  home  by  the  American  consul ; 
while  a  few  linger  here  still,  seeking  to  make  out  a  precarious 
livelihood  in  one  way  or  another.  We  found  two  bright, 
intelligent-looking  American  boys,  about  nine  or  ten  years  old, 
at  the  door  of  our  hotel,  and  ascertained,  on  inquiry,  that  they 
belonged  to  one  of  the  families  remaining  from  the  colony. 
They  were  eager  to  offer  their  services  as  guides,  to  take  us 
through  the  town,  and  especially  to  show  us  “  the  house  of  Simon 
the  tanner,  which  is  by  the  seaside.”  We  promised  the  little 
fellows  to  employ  them  when  we  were  ready  to  go. 

Our  first  object,  after  taking  breakfast,  was  to  make  arrange¬ 
ments  for  securing  a  conveyance  to  Jerusalem.  It  is  not  always 
easy  to  do  this.  We  should  have  had  great  difficulty  in  effect¬ 
ing  it,  if  the  providence  of  God  had  not  unexpectedly  come  to 
our  relief. 

On  a  little  green  spot  in  front  of  the  hotel  there  were  several 
tents  pitched.  We  found,  on  inquiry,  that  these  belonged  to  a 
dragoman,  who  had  just  brought  an  English  party  down  from 
Jerusalem,  to  embark  on  the  steamer  which  had  conveyed  us 
from  Egypt.  They  had  given  him  the  most  satisfactory  testi¬ 
monials,  and  so  had  other  parties  by  whom  he  had  been  em¬ 
ployed.  His  horses  and  mules  were  all  on  hand.  His  name 
was  Ali  Solomon.  He  offered  his  services  as  our  dragoman, 
not  only  to  Jerusalem,  but  for  the  whole  journey  before  us. 
When  satisfied  of  his  intelligence,  ability  and  integrity,  we  con¬ 
cluded  to  engage  him,  if  we  could  agree  about  the  terms.  On 
this  point  we  had  a  long  discussion,  and  great  difficulty  in 
coming  to  a  conclusion  that  was  mutually  satisfactory.  Fi¬ 
nally,  however,  it  was  arranged  that  he  should  take  our  party 
of  five  for  a  journey  of  thirty -five  days  or  more,  at  the  rate 
of  twenty-five  shillings  per  day  for  each  person  in  the  party, 
which  sum  was  to  be  inclusive  of  all  expenses.  On  this  basis 
our  agreement  was  drawn  up  in  writing,  and  signed  by  both 
parties.  And  here  let  me  recommend,  most  decidedly,  to 


30 


ILLUSTRATED  RAMBLES 


persons  purposing  to  enter  Palestine  at  Jaffa,  that  they  engage 
a  dragoman  at  Alexandria,  or  Cairo,  provided  they  can  meet 
with  one  there  whose  testimonials  are  entirely  satisfactory. 
He  can  then  go  before,  and  meet  them  at  Jaffa  with  his  horses 
and  mules ;  and  thus,  besides  facilitating  greatly  the  disagree¬ 
able  undertaking  of  landing  amidst  such  a  clamorous  crowd  as 
will  meet  them  on  coming  from  the  boat,  they  will  he  able  to 
start  on  the  journey  without  any  long  and  vexatious  delay.  It 
is  not  always  possible  to  find  a  good  dragoman  at  Jaffa,  and 
then  it  is  difficult  to  get  a  suitable  conveyance  to  Jerusalem. 
If  we  had  not  been  favored  as  we  were,  in  meeting  with  just 
what  we  needed,  we  might  not  only  have  been  greatly  delayed 
in  starting,  but  also  have  found  our  ascent  to  Jerusalem  much 
less  comfortable  and  satisfactory  than  it  proved  to  be. 

While  the  dragoman  was  making  his  arrangements  for  our 
departure,  we  called  into  requisition  the  services  of  our  young 
American  guides  to  take  us  into  the  town. 

The  engraving  on  the  opposite  page  gives  a  good  view  of  Jaffa, 
the  name  given  to  the  place  called  Joppa  in  the  Bible.  It  is  the 
city,  or  port,  that  leads  to  Jerusalem.  Most  people  who  travel  in 
the  Holy  Land  enter  it  here.  It  is  on  the  shore  of  the  Mediter¬ 
ranean  Sea,  about  thirty  miles  from  Jerusalem.  It  is  built  on  a 
hill,  or  rising  ground.  The  houses  seem  to  stand  one  above 
another,  which  gives  it  a  very  pretty  appearance,  when  looked  at 
in  approaching  it  from  the  sea.  But  when  you  come  near  to  it, 
you  are  greatly  disappointed  to  find  it  very  different  from  what 
you  expected  it  to  be.  There  are  no  nice,  straight,  clean  streets 
in  it,  such  as  we  are  accustomed  to  see  in  our  towns  and  cities. 
The  streets  are  all  narrow  and  crooked  and  very  dirty.  The 
houses  look  so  dark  and  filthy  that  you  wonder  how  any  person 
can  bear  to  live  in  them.  The  streets  are  so  steep,  as  they  wind 
along  the  sides  of  the  hills  on  which  the  town  is  built,  that  in 
walking  along  them  you  feel  very  much  as  if  you  were  going 
up  and  down  stairs.  It  is  impossible  to  ride  through  Jaffa  in  a 
carriage  of  any  kind.  You  are  obliged  either  to  go  on  foot  or 
to  ride  on  a  donkey.  The  donkeys  do  not  seem  to  mind  the 


Jaffa 


IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


O  1 

Ol 

steep  streets  at  all.  They  clamber  up  and  down  the  steps  in 
the  streets  as  easily  and  as  safely  as  though  they  were  on  a 
level  plain. 

There  is  only  one  gate  in  the  walls  of  Jaffa,  on  the  land  side. 
A  kind  of  market  is  held  just  outside  of  this  gate  every  day. 
On  this  account,  the  gate  is  always  so  crowded  with  mules  and 
donkeys  and  camels,  and  dirty,  ragged-looking  Arabs,  that  it  is 
often  difficult  to  make  your  way  through  it.  When  you 
get  beyond  this  noisy  crowd,  you  find  that  the  town  is  sur¬ 
rounded  by  beautiful  orchards  and  groves  of  olive  trees,  oranges, 
lemons,  citrons  and  apricots,  which  make  the  country  around 
look  like  one  great  garden.  The  oranges  of  Jaffa,  especially, 
are  considered  the  finest  in  the  country. 

Jaffa  contains  about  5000  inhabitants.  Of  these  1000  are 
Christians,  near  200  Jews,  and  the  rest  are  all  Turks,  or  Ma- 
hommedans.  There  is  no  harbor  or  port  to  this  town.  When 
steamers  and  other  vessels  stop  here,  they  have  to  anchor  in  the 
open  sea,  about  half  a  mile  from  the  shore.  In  consequence 
of  this,  it  is  only  in  fine  weather  that  persons  can  land  here. 
When  the  wind  blows  strong  and  the  sea  is  rough,  it  is  impos¬ 
sible  for  vessels  to  lie  at  anchor  in  safety.  At  such  times, 
therefore,  the  steamers  that  sail  along  the  coast  are  obliged  to 
pass  by  without  stopping,  and  go  to  some  other  port.  And  so 
it  sometimes  happens  that  the  people  in  Jaffa  will  be  a  whole 
month  at  a  time  without  getting  any  mails. 

Jaffa  is  said  to  be  the  oldest  town  in  the  world.  A  well- 
known  Roman  writer  tells  us  that  it  existed  before  the  time 
of  the  deluge.  That  is  more  than  four  thousand  years  ago. 
But  whether  this  be  true  or  not,  avc  know  very  well  that  Jaffa 
is  a  very  old  town.  It  is  spoken  of  a  number  of  times  in  the 
Bible.  The  first  place  in  which  we  find  it  mentioned  is  Joshua 
xix.  46.  Here,  under  the  name  of  Japho,  it  is  put  down  as  one 
of  the  towns  that  was  given  to  the  tribe  of  Dan,  as  their  portion 
of  the  land  of  Canaan.  The  next  place  in  which  its  name 
occurs  is  2  Chronicles  ii.  16.  This  was  when  Solomon  was  pre¬ 
paring  to  build  his  splendid  temple  and  palace.  He  wanted  a 


32 


ILLUSTRATED  RAMBLES 


great  deal  of  cedar  wood  for  this  purpose.  The  finest  cedar 
trees  in  the  world  grow  in  the  mountains  of  Lebanon,  which  lie 
to  the  north  of  Palestine.  Those  mountains  then  belonged  to 
Hiram,  the  king  of  Tyre.  So  Solomon  made  a  bargain  with 
this  king  to  send  him  as  much  cedar  wood  as  he  might  need, 
for  a  price  that  was  agreed  upon.  And  Hiram  said  to  him, 
“We  will  cut  wood  out  of  Lebanon,  as  much  as  thou  shalt 
need ;  and  we  will  bring  it  to  thee  in  floats  (or  rafts)  to  Joppa ; 
and  thou  shalt  carry  it  up  to  Jerusalem.” 

After  about  five  hundred  years  from  this  time, — when  Solo¬ 
mon’s  temple  had  been  destroyed, — on  the  return  of  the  Jews 
from  their  captivity  in  Babylon,  one  of  the  first  things  they 
wanted  to  do  was  to  rebuild  the  temple.  And  so,  following  the 
example  of  Solomon,  we  read  in  Ezra  iii.  7,  that  the  Jews 
“gave  meat,  and  drink,  and  oil,  to  them  of  Zidon,  and  to  them 
of  Tyre,  to  bring  cedar  trees  from  Lebanon  to  the  sea  of  Joppa,” 
for  rebuilding  “  the  house  of  the  Lord.” 

The  next  time  we  find  Joppa  spoken  of  in  the  Bible  is  in 
connection  with  the  prophet  Jonah.  This  was  the  place  where 
he  went  on  board  a  ship  “  to  flee  from  the  presence  of  God.” 

And  there  are  two  interesting  incidents  mentioned  in  the 
New  Testament  history  in  connection  with  this  town  of  Joppa. 
We  read  the  account  of  one  of  these  in  Acts  ix.  36-43.  There 
was  a  good  Christian  woman  named  Tabitha,  or  Dorcas,  who 
spent  her  time  in  trying  to  do  good  in  many  ways,  but  especi¬ 
ally  in  making  garments  for  the  poor.  She  died  suddenly  in 
the  midst  of  her  good  works.  Some  of  her  friends  heard  that 
the  apostle  Peter  was  then  at  Lydcla,  a  small  town  about  ten 
miles  from  Joppa.  They  sent  for  him  to  come  over  to  them, 
hoping  that  it  might  please  God  to  let  him  restore  this  useful 
woman  to  life  again.  Peter  came.  He  went  into  the  room 
where  the  dead  body  was.  He  kneeled  down  and  prayed  by 
her  side.  Then  he  said  to  her,  “Tabitha,  arise;”  and  she 
opened  her  eyes,  and  sat  up.  This  took  place  at  Joppa.  The 
name  of  this  good  woman  has  been  honored,  all  through  the 
Christian  world,  by  being  applied  to  those  societies  in  our 


IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


33 


churches  in  which  kind  Christian  ladies  meet  together  for  the 
purpose  of  making  garments  for  the  poor.  And  when  we  hear 
of  a  Dorcas  society,  we  may  well  think  of  Joppa ;  for  the  first 
time  we  hear  of  such  a  society  was  in  this  very  old  town 
of  Joppa. 

The  other  incident  that  took  place  here  we  read  about  in 
Acts,  10th  chapter.  There  was  a  good  Roman  soldier,  a  cen¬ 
turion,  or  captain  of  a  hundred  men,  who  was  trying  to  serve 
God  as  well  as  he  could.  But  he  was  not  a  Christian.  One 
night  God  sent  an  angel  to  him,  to  tell  him  to  send  to  Joppa 
and  inquire  for  one  Simon,  whose  surname  was  Peter,  who  would 
tell  him  what  he  must  do  to  be  saved.  The  angel  told  him, 
also,  where  he  would  find  Peter.  He  said,  “  He  lodgeth  with 
one  Simon  a  tanner,  whose  house  is  by  the  sea-side.”  Cornelius 
sent  men  to  Joppa  at  once  to  find  Peter.  But  Peter  was  a 
Jew.  And  at  that  time  the  Jews  thought  it  was  wrong  to  have 
any  intercourse  with  those  who  were  not  Jews.  Even  the 
Christian  Jews  thought  that  Jesus  died  only  for  their  nation. 
They  did  not  think  it  possible  for  the  Gentiles,  or  people 
of  other  nations,  to  be  saved.  This  was  just  what  Peter  thought 
and  felt  on  this  subject,  too.  But  now  God  was  going  to  show 
him  better  than  this.  He  wanted  to  teach  him  the  great  truth 
that  Jesus  died  for  all  men,  and  that  Gentiles  as  well  as  Jews 
might  now  repent  and  believe  and  be  saved  through  Christ. 
About  noon  the  next  day,  Peter  went  up  to  the  roof  of  the 
house  of  Simon  the  tanner  to  pray.  The  houses  in  Palestine 
are  all  built  with  flat  roofs,  and  walls  around  them.  In  warm 
weather  the  people  sleep  there.  They  sit  there  in  the  cool 
of  the  evening.  And  they  go  there  when  they  wish  to  be  alone, 
as  we  go  into  our  chambers.  When  Peter  had  done  praying,  lie 
fell  asleep.  While  he  was  asleep,  he  saw  a  strange  vision. 
You  can  read  all  about  this  in  Acts,  10th  chapter.  The  object 
of  the  vision  was  to  teach  Peter  that  God  wished  Gentiles  as 
well  as  Jews  to  be  saved,  and  so  to  make  him  willing  to  go  and 
preach  the  gospel  to  Cornelius  and  his  friends.  Peter  learned 
the  lesson  God  taught  him.  He  went  with  the  messengers 
3 


34 


ILLUSTRATE!)  RAMBLES 


of  Cornelius.  He  preached  Jesus  to  him.  Cornelius  believed 
and  was  saved.  This  was  the  first  time  the  gospel  was  ever 
preached  to  the  Gentiles.  And  it  is  interesting  to  know  that 
God  prepared  the  way  for  this  in  Joppa. 

They  show  what  is  said  to  be  “  the  house  of  Simon  the  tan¬ 
ner,”  to  this  day.  Of  course  I  went  to  see  it  while  there.  It 
is  an  old-looking  stone  house,  built  on  the  rock  near  the  sea.  I 
went  to  “  the  housetop,”  and  thought  of  Peter’s  prayer  and 
vision,  and  of  the  blessed  results  that  have  followed  from  it. 
If  you  look  in  the  picture,  you  will  see  a  tower,  or  minaret,  on 
the  right  hand  side  of  the  town,  by  the  sea.  The  house  is  near 
that.  But  whatever  we  may  think  of  this  house,  we  may  well 
thank  God  for  the  vision  Peter  saw  in  Joppa,  and  for  His  great 
goodness  in  sending  His  Son  to  die  for  Gentiles  as  well  as  Jews. 

On  returning  to  the  hotel,  we  found  all  things  ready  for 
starting. 

About  two  o’clock  in  the  afternoon,  we  mounted  our  horses 
and  began  our  journey.  Our  road  lay  first  across  the  level 
plains  that  surround  Jaffa.  These  are  very  fertile  and  under 
high  cultivation.  Jaffa  is  famous  for  its  oranges.  They  are 
the  finest  raised  anywhere  in  this  part  of  the  world,  and  the 
extent  to  which  they  are  cultivated  surprised  me  greatly.  For 
a  long  time  after  leaving  the  town,  we  rode  along  through  a 
constant  succession  of  vast  groves  or  orchards  of  orange  trees. 
I  never  saw  such  a  profusion  of  this  delightful  fruit.  The  trees 
were  loaded  with  them.  They  hung  thick  upon  the  bending- 
branches  in  every  stage  of  growth.  Here  were  the  opening 
blossoms,  there  the  young  fruit  just  rounding  into  form,  and 
there  again  the  rich,  ripe,  golden  fruit,  ready  to  be  gathered ; 
and  all  this  upon  the  same  tree.  The  air  was  perfectly  redolent 
with  the  delightful  fragrance  which  exhaled  from  the  blossoms. 
After  passing  out  from  those  beautiful  orange  groves,  the 
country  became  more  undulating.  The  soil  has  a  dark,  rich 
look,  and  the  broad  fields  of  luxuriant  grain,  spread  out  on 
every  hand,  gave  substantial  and  satisfactory  evidence  that  it 
really  was  as  rich  and  fertile  as  it  appeared  to  be.  This  was 


IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


35 


the  aspect  of  the  country  for  miles  around,  while  off  beyond  this 
great  expanse  of  fertility  we  had  charming  views  of  the  distant 
“  hill  country  of  Judea.”  The  sky  was  beautifully  clear,  with 
masses  of  white,  fleecy  clouds  sailing  gracefully  through  it. 
The  air  was  cool,  fresh  and  balmy,  and  the  birds  were  singing 
sweetly  overhead.  Nothing  could  have  been  moi'e  charming. 
It  seemed  as  if  the  approving  smiles  of  our  covenant  God  were 
beaming  around  us,  and  bidding  us  welcome  to  the  land  he  had 
chosen  as  specially  his  own.  I  was  deeply  conscious  of  a  feeling 
of  unwonted  exhilaration.  As  we  rode  thus  pleasantly  along, 
the  question  would  come  up,  “  Is  it  a  dream,  or  is  it  actually  so, 
that  the  cherished  desire  of  a  lifetime  is  about  to  be  realized, 
and  I  am  really  entering  on  the  land  of  patriarchs  and  pro¬ 
phets — the  land  where  God  was  ‘  manifest  in  the  flesh,’  and  the 
great  price  of  our  redemption  was  paid  down  ?”  But  it  was  no 
dream,  and  my  heart  overflowed  with  thankfulness  to  God  for 
granting  us  so  auspicious  an  entrance  to  the  land  of  the  Bible. 

We  passed  in  sight  of  Lydcla,  where  Peter  cured  Eneas,  and 
from  which  he  was  called  to  Joppa  to  restore  the  dead  Dorcas 
to  life  and  usefulness  again. 

The  road  from  Jaffa  to  Jerusalem  is  very  different  from  what 
I  expected  to  find  it.  I  supposed  it  to  be  little  better  than  a 
bridle  path ;  and  such  it  was  formerly.  But  now  there  is  a 
fine,  broad,  macadamized  road  running  the  whole  distance.  It 
is  well  adapted  for  wheeled  carriages,  but  there  are  none  found 
upon  it.  An  enterprising  American — one  of  those  connected 
with  the  colony  above  referred  to — started  an  omnibus  some 
time  ago,  from  Jaffa  to  Jerusalem.  He  went  through  one  day 
and  returned  the  next.  He  was  getting  on  finely  with  the 
undertaking,  and  it  promised  to  be  a  complete  success,  when 
the  government  interfered,  and  would  not  allow  him  to  proceed, 
uidess  he  would  agree  to  give  up  one-half  of  all  his  income. 
This  of  course  stopped  the  enterprise ;  and  now,  the  only  mode 
of  conveyance  for  goods  and  merchandise  between  the  two 
places  is  on  the  backs  of  camels,  mules  and  donkeys.  And 
such  is  the  general  policy  of  the  government  by  which,  in  the 


36 


ILLUSTRATED  RAMBLES 


expressive  language  of  our  Saviour,  this  land  is  “  trodden 
down  of  the  Gentiles.” 

After  a  delightful  ride  of  three  hours,  we  reached  and  passed 
through  the  town  of  Ramleh.  It  contains  a  population  of  about 
3,000  people,  but  has  no  special  scriptural  interest.  It  was  a 
place  of  much  importance  during  the  time  of  the  Crusades,  and 
was  the  scene  of  some  of  the  famous  exploits  of  the  lion-hearted 
Richard  of  England. 

Outside  the  walls  of  this  town  we  found  our  tents  pitched. 
There  we  halted  for  the  night,  and  began  our  experience  of  tent 
life.  We  found  an  excellent  dinner  of  six  or  seven  courses 
prepared  for  us.  For  this  our  ride  had  given  us  a  keen 
appetite.  It  had  also  given  us  the  best  possible  preparation  for 
enjoying  a  night  of  sound  and  sweet  repose.  And  thus  ended  a 
day  that  had  long  been  looked  forward  to — a  day  of  abounding 
mercy — a  day  that  more  than  realized  all  that  anticipation  had 
pictured  round  it— a  day  the  recollection  of  which  will  always 
awaken  the  most  pleasing  and  grateful  emotions — the  first  day 
in  the  Holy  Land. 

Most  travellers  spend  but  one  night  on  the  road  from  Jaffa 
to  Jerusalem.  By  starting  in  the  morning,  this  can  easily  be 
done.  But  we  concluded  to  spend  another  night  on  the  road, 
and  pitched  our  tents  for  the  second  night  in  the  Valley 
of  Ajalon,  where  Joshua  commanded  the  moon  to  stand  still, 
while  the  Israelites  finished  their  victory  over  the  Canaanites. 
This  is  only  about  an  hour’s  ride  from  Jerusalem.  We  might 
have  pushed  on,  and  have  arrived  there,  before  finishing  the 
day’s  journey.  But  we  preferred  to  get  a  good  night’s  rest,  and 
reach  Jerusalem  early  the  next  day,  fresh  and  unfatigued,  and 
ready  to  begin  at  once  our  examinations  of  its  interesting 
localities. 


Jerusalem.  P.  3*7 


IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


37 


CHAPTER  IV. 

ARRIVAL  AT  JERUSALEM  —  FIRST  IMPRESSIONS  —  SKETCH  OF  ITS 
HISTORY  —  THE  JEWS’  WAILING  PLACE,  THE  FIRST  PLACE 
VISITED. 

An  hour’s  ride  after  breakfast  brought  us  to  Jerusalem.  I 
felt  curious  as  to  what  my  first  impressions  would  be  on  seeing 
the  Holy  City.  I  am  free  to  confess  that  the  feeling  was  one 
of  disappointment.  No  doubt  this  was  due,  in  great  part,  to 
the  point  from  which  we  approached  it.  Arriving  from  Jaffa, 
we  came,  of  course,  to  the  Jaffa  gate ;  and  the  view  of  the  city 
presented  from  this  point  is  the  least  impressive.  Just  as  you 
reach  the  summit  of  the  hill  from  which  the  city  is  seen,  there 
rises  up  immediately  before  you  the  extensive  buildings  of  the 
Russian  Convent.  This  is  outside  the  walls  of  the  city,  and  so 
situated  as  to  hide  a  large  portion  of  it  from  the  view  of  those 
approaching  it  from  Jaffa.  But  it  was  easier  to  correct  this 
impression,  by  subsequent  observation,  than  to  avoid  it  by  a 
long  and  round-about  ride  to  another  point  of  approach.  Thus 
we  reached  Jerusalem  and  encamped  outside  the  Jaffa  gate. 

Here  is  a  view  of  Jerusalem.  You  see  it  is  “a  city  set  on 
a  hill,  that  cannot  be  hid.”  Indeed  it  is  built  on  several  hills, 
which  are  connected  together  by  the  houses  in  the  city,  and  by 
the  walls  built  around  them.  This  picture  is  taken  from  the 
top  of  the  Mount  of  Olives,  and  it  gives  a  good  view  of  the  city 
as  it  appears  from  that  point. 

Jerusalem  is  the  most  interesting  of  all  the  cities  in  the  world. 
It  is  not  by  any  means  the  largest  city  or  the  richest  city. 
There  are  other  cities  that  have  larger  and  finer  buildings  in 
them,  and  a  more  fertile  and  beautiful  country  around  them ; 
but  there  is  no  other  city  in  the  world  that  is  so  much  connected 
with  the  Bible,  and  the  wonderful  things  of  which  it  tells  us. 
And  this  is  the  great  reason  why  those  who  love  the  Bible  take 
so  much  interest  in  visiting  this  city,  and  why  those  who  have 
never  visited  it  love  to  hear  and  read  about  it.  The  engraving 


38 


ILLUSTRATED  RAMBLES 


before  us  gives  us  a  good  view  of  Jerusalem,  not  as  it  appeared 
in  the  times  when  the  Bible  was  written,  but  as  it  appears  now. 

It  was  not  until  the  time  of  David  that  Jerusalem  became 
the  capital  of  the  Jewish  nation.  Before  that  time  it  was  called 
Jebus.  It  was  a  very  strong  place,  and  when  the  Israelites  first 
came  into  the  land  of  Canaan,  they  were  not  able  to  drive  the 
Jebusites  out  and  get  possession  of  this  post.  But  David  was  a 
great  warrior  and  a  very  brave  man.  When  he  was  made  king 
he  resolved  to  get  possession  of  this  place,  and  make  it  the 
centre,  or  capital,  of  his  kingdom.  How  he  did  this,  you  can 
find  out  by  reading  1  Chron.  xi.  4-9.  Then  from  that  time, 
during  all  the  rest  of  his  life,  he  lived  and  reigned  in  Jerusalem. 
And  it  was  because  he  first  took  the  city  and  lived  in  it  that  it 
was  often  called  “  the  city  of  David.” 

When  Solomon  became  king,  he  did  a  great  deal  to  enlarge 
and  beautify  the  city,  especially  by  the  splendid  temple  which 
he  built,  all  covered  with  gold,  and  which  became  the  chief  or¬ 
nament  and  glory  of  Jerusalem.  It  is  said  that  “  Solomon  made 
silver  in  Jerusalem  to  be  as  (plenty,  or  common  as)  stones ; 
and  cedar  made  he  to  be  as  (common  as)  sycamore  trees.”  2 
Chron.  xi.  27.  After  the  time  of  Solomon,  Jerusalem  continued 
to  be  the  capital  of  the  kingdom  of  Judah,  and  all  the  kings 
of  Judah  lived  and  reigned  there  for  about  four  hundred  years. 
Then,  on  account  of  the  wickedness  of  the  people,  God  permitted 
Nebuchadnezzar,  the  king  of  Babylon,  to  come  against  Jeru¬ 
salem,  and  to  take  it.  He  burnt  the  beautiful  temple  which 
Solomon  had  built.  He  destroyed  the  city  and  broke  down  its 
walls,  and  left  it  in  utter  desolation.  He  also  carried  the  people 
away  captive  to  Babylon.  Then  Jerusalem  lay  in  ruins  for 
seventy  years. 

After  this,  God  brought  the  Jews  back  from  the  captivity 
of  Babylon  to  their  own  land  again.  He  also  raised  up  Ezra 
and  Nehemiah,  two  good,  pious  Jews,  and  sent  them  to  rebuild 
the  city  and  the  temple.  Another  temple  was  afterwards  built 
by  Herod  the  Great.  It  is  said  to  have  taken  forty-six  years  in 
building.  John  ii.  20.  It  was  larger  and  more  splendid  than 


IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


39 


the  temple  of  Solomon.  The  Jews  were  very  proud  of  it.  It 
was  to  this  that  the  disciples  called  the  attention  of  our  Saviour, 
when  they  said,  “  Master,  see  what  manner  of  stones,  and  what 
buildings  are  here!”  Mark  xiii.  1.  And  they  were  greatly 
surprised  to  hear  Him  say  that  that  beautiful  temple  should  be 
destroyed,  till  there  should  not  be  left  in  it  “  one  stone  upon 
another.” 

But,  after  all,  the  chief  thing  that  makes  Jerusalem  so  inte¬ 
resting  to  us  is,  that  it  was  there  that  Jesus  spent  so  much  of  his 
time,  teaching  the  people  and  working  miracles  among  them ; 
and  there,  above  all,  that  He  suffered  that  cruel  death  upon  the 
cross,  when  He  shed  His  precious  blood  for  us,  and  so  “  opened, 
the  kingdom  of  heaven  to  all  believers.”  Calvary  was  just  out¬ 
side  of  the  walls  of  Jerusalem,  “  nigh  unto  the  city.”  John  xix. 
20.  Here,  too,  He  was  buried,  and  lay  in  the  silent  grave.  And 
here  it  was,  on  the  morning  of  the  resurrection,  that  He  gained 
His  great  victory  over  death  and  the  grave,  and  thus  made  it 
certain  that  all  who  love  Him  shall  rise  from  their  graves  at 
last,  to  dwell  forever  with  Him  in  the  glory  of  His  heavenly 
kingdom.  Here  we  see  reason  enough  why  this  city  should 
always  be  a  very  interesting  place  to  all  who  love  Jesus. 

About  fifty  years  after  the  death  of  Jesus,  a  Roman  army 
came,  under  the  command  of  Titus,  and  besieged  Jerusalem. 
It  was  too  strong  for  them  to  take  by  force,  at  a  time  when 
cannon  and  cannon-balls  were  unknown.  They  had  nothing 
that  was  powerful  enough  to  break  down  the  great,  strong  walls 
of  Jerusalem.  So  they  resolved  to  starve  the  Jews  out,  and 
compel  them  by  hunger  to  surrender  the  city.  They  came  at 
the  time  of  the  great  feast  of  the  Jews,  when  the  city  was  very 
full  of  people.  They  surrounded  it  on  every  side,  and  built  a 
wall  all  round  it,  to  prevent  any  one  from  going  in  or  out  of  the 
city.  The  Jews  were  very  brave,  and  there  was  great  fighting 
all  round  this  Roman  wall.  But  after  a  while  provisions  began 
to  get  very  scarce  in  Jerusalem.  Multitudes  of  the  people  died 
from  hunger.  Famine  raged  in  the  city,  and  more  were  killed 
in  this  way  than  by  the  swords  of  the  Roman  soldiers.  That 


40 


ILLUSTRATED  RAMBLES 


siege  of  Jerusalem  was  one  of  the  most  fearful  that  ever  took 
place.  It  is  enough  to  make  one’s  hloocl  run  cold  to  read  the 
terrible  account  that  Josephus,  the  Jewish  historian,  gives  of  the 
awful  sufferings  of  the  people.  In  addition  to  the  famine,  a 
dreadful  disease,  called  the  pestilence,  which  no  one  can  cure, 
broke  out  among  them.  The  people  died  so  fast  that  it  was  im¬ 
possible  to  bury  them,  and  whole  houses  were  filled  with  dead 
bodies.  These  decayed  and  putrefied,  and  helped  to  make  the 
pestilence  worse  than  ever.  The  wretched  people  at  last  were 
so  pressed  with  hunger,  that  horses,  dogs,  cats  and  rats,  were 
eagerly  devoured.  They  would  gnaw  pieces  of  leather  from  old 
shoes ;  some  mothers  even  roasted  and  ate  their  own  children  ! 

And  these  fearful  evils  that  came  upon  Jerusalem  had  all 
been  foretold.  If  we  turn  to  Deut.  xxviii.  45-57,  we  find 
the  very  worst  things  that  came  upon  the  Jews  all  foretold. 
“  Moreover  all  these  curses  shall  come  upon  thee,  and  shall 
pursue  thee,  and  overtake  thee  till  thou  be  destroyed,  because 
thou  hearkenedst  not  unto  the  voice  of  the  Lord  thy  God.  .  .  . 
They  shall  be  upon  thee  for  a  sign  and  for  a  wonder,  and  upon 
thy  seed  forever.  .  .  .  The  Lord  shall  bring  a  nation  against 
thee  from  far,  ...  a  nation  of  fierce  countenance,  which  shall 
not  regard  the  person  of  the  old,  nor  show  favor  to  the  young. 
.  .  .  And  he  shall  besiege  thee  in  all  thy  gates,  until  thy  high 
and  fenced  walls  wherein  thou  trustedst  shall  come  down.  .  .  . 
And  the  tender  and  delicate  woman  shall  eat  the  children  she  hath 
borne,  in  the  siege  and  straitness  wherewith  thine  enemy  shcdl  dis¬ 
tress  thee  in  thy  gates.”  And  these  solemn  words  of  Moses  were 
all  fulfilled.  In  spite  of  the  great  bravery  of  the  Jews,  and 
their  dreadful  sufferings,  they  could  not  resist  the  Roman  army. 
Jerusalem  was  taken.  The  splendid  temple  was  burnt.  The 
buildings  and  walls  were  thrown  down,  and  the  ground  on 
which  the  city  stood  was  actually  ploughed  up,  as  God  had  said 
it  should  he. 

After  this,  Jerusalem  lay  in  its  ruins  for  a  long  time.  But 
finally  it  was  built  up  again.  The  Turks  got  possession  of  it. 
Then  the  Christians  in  Europe  thought  it  was  a  shame  that  the 


IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


41 


places  made  sacred  by  the  life  and  death  of  our  blessed  Saviour 
should  be  in  the  hands  of  His  enemies ;  so  they  raised  great 
armies  to  go  and  fight  against  the  Turks.  The  people  "who 
joined  these  armies  were  called  Crusaders,  or  soldiers  of  the 

cross.  Ministers  preached  about  these  crusades.  Rich  people 

* 

gave  their  money  to  them.  Princes  left  their  palaces,  and  kings 
their  thrones  and  kingdoms,  to  go  and  join  in  them.  Bloody 
battles  were  fought  and  multitudes  of  lives  were  lost.  At  last 
the  crusaders  succeeded  in  taking  Jerusalem  away  from  the 
Turks.  But  they  were  not  able  to  keep  it  very  long.  The 
Turks  took  it  again.  They  have  held  it  now  for  a  long  time. 
Jerusalem  is  still  in  the  hands  of  the  Turks.  Jesus  said  Jeru¬ 
salem  should  “  be  trodden  down  of  the  Gentiles,  until  the  times 
of  the  Gentiles  be  fulfilled.”— Luke  xxi.  24.  We  should  all 
pray  for  the  time  to  come  when  Jerusalem  shall  no  longer  be 
“  trodden  down  of  the  Gentiles  for  then  the  kingdom  of  Christ, 
for  the  coming  of  which  we  have  so  long  been  looking,  will  be 
set  up  in  the  earth.  Then  sin  and  suffering  and  sorrow  shall 
cease.  Then  the  people  will  be  all  righteous ;  “  the  knowledge 
of  the  Lord”  shall  cover  the  earth  “as  the  waters  cover  the  sea.” 

“  The  Wailing  Place”  to  which  this  picture  refers  is  a  very  in¬ 
teresting  one  to  visit.  Almost  all  persons  who  go  to  Jerusalem  go 
to  this  place.  We  arrived  at  Jerusalem  on  a  Friday.  That 
is  the  best  day  in  the  week  for  visiting  “  The  Wailing  Place,” 
because  more  Jews  go  there  on  that  day  than  on  any  other. 
So  this  was  one  of  the  very  first  places  that  we  went  to  see. 

It  is  a  place  inside  the  walls  of  Jerusalem,  in  which  there  is 
a  part  of  the  wall  of  the  old  temple  built  by  Solomon.  The 
stones  in  it  are  very  large,  and  very  much  worn  away.  Time 
has  wrorn  them  much  ;  and  the  people  have  worn  them  more,  by 
putting  their  hands  on  them,  and  leaning  against  them,  and 
kissing  them.  The  Jews  come  here  every  day,  but  especially 
on  Friday.  And  when  they  look  upon  those  old  worn  stones, 
they  think  of  the  time  when  their  temple  stood  complete  in  its 
beauty,  and  “Solomon  in  all  his  glory”  ruled  over  their 
land ;  and  then  they  mourn  to  think  that  their  temple  is  now 


42 


ILLUSTRATED  RAMBLES 


desolate ;  that  their  city  is  ruled  by  strangers ;  that  their 
nation  are  still  outcasts  from  their  own  land,  and  scattered 
all  oyer  the  earth. 

But  the  Jews  do  not  only  wail,  or  weep,  in  this  place.  They 
love  to  read  their  Bibles  and  offer  up  their  prayers  here. 
They  seem  to  feel  as  if  prayers  offered  here  would  be  more 
acceptable  to  God  and  be  more  sure  of  being  heard,  than  if 
offered  in  any  other  place.  But  this  is  a  mistake.  The  Bible 
teaches  us  that  “  God  is  no  respecter  of  person*.”  It  also  teaches 
us  that  God  is  no  respecter  of  places.  Some  people  think  that 
that  part  of  a  church  where  the  minister  stands  or  kneels,  when 
he  is  praying  or  preaching  or  administering  the  sacraments,  is 
more  holy  than  the  pews  where  the  people  sit.  But  this  is  a 
mistake.  God  is  no  more  present  in  one  place  than  He  is  in 
another.  Prayers  offered  in  one  part  of  a  church  building  are 
no  more  acceptable  to  God  than  those  offered  in  any  other  part. 
Prayers  offered  in  the  city  of  Jerusalem  will  not  be  heard  any 
sooner  by  God  than  prayers  offered  in  the  city  of  London,  or 
New  York,  or  Boston,  or  Philadelphia. 

But  the  Jews  think  differently.  They  think  that  those  old 
stones  of  the  temple  will,  some  how  or  other,  make  their  prayers 
more  sure  of  being  heard.  For  this  reason  they  love  to  go  to 
this  place.  Sometimes  you  may  see  a  little  company  of  four  or 
five  people  standing  together.  They  will  all  have  a  portion 
of  the  Hebrew  Bible  in  their  hands.  One  of  them  will  take  the 
lead  in  reading  some  part  of  the  five  books  of  Moses ;  that  is, 
the  first  five  books  of  the  Bible,  which  are  also  called  the  Pen¬ 
tateuch  ;  and  the  rest  of  the  company  will  join  him  in  repeating 
something  every  little  while.  Others  will  stand  by  themselves 
and  read,  while  some  will  lean  against  the  wall,  or  put  their 
mouths  to  the  opening  in  the  stones,  and  repeat  some  of  the 
lamentations  of  Jeremiah,  or  offer  their  prayers  in  a  very  sad 
and  mournful  voice,  while  the  tears  at  the  same  time  are  run¬ 
ning  down  their  cheeks.  It  makes  one  feel  very  sad  to  see  it ; 
and  I  almost  felt  as  if  I  could  weep  with  them  that  wept  in  that 
interesting  old  place. 


IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


43 


As  I  turned  to  go  away,  I  felt  that  there  were  two  lessons  which 
I  might  learn  from  my  visit  to  “  The  Jews’  Wailing  Place,”  and 
which  all  may  learn  too,  who  look  upon  the  picture  of  it. 

What  a  dreadful  thing  sin  is!  This  is  one  of  the  lessons. 
It  was  the  sin  of  the  Jews  which  brought  upon  them  all  the 
evil  that  they  are  suffering  now,  and  that  their  fathers  before 
them  have  suffered  for  hundreds  of  years.  The  prophet  Isaiah 
said  to  them  :  “  Your  iniquities  have  separated  between  you  and 
your  God  ;  your  sins  have  hid  his  face  from  you.”  It  was  sin 
which  caused  the  destruction  of  their  beautiful  city  and  temple. 
It  was  sin  which  caused  them  to  be  cast  out  from  their  own 
land,  and  to  be  made  to  wander  all  over  the  face  of  the  earth. 
It  is  their  sin  which  has  caused  them  to  be  despised  and  perse¬ 
cuted  in  almost  every  nation.  There  never  was  a  nation  that 
has  been  hated  and  oppressed  everywhere  as  the  Jews  have 
been.  God  told  them  beforehand  that  it  would  be  so.  You 
can  read  what  God  said  about  this  in  the  28th  chapter  of  Deu¬ 
teronomy.  That  is  a  wonderful  chapter.  If  you  could  read 
over  the  history  of  all  that  the  Jews  have  suffered  during  the 
past  eighteen  hundred  years,  you  would  find  that  it  had  been 
all  foretold  in  that  chapter.  And  when  we  think  of  all  these 
sad  results  following  from  their  evil  doings,  we  may  well  learn 
this  lesson,  that  sin  is  a  dreadful  thing. 

But  there  is  another  lesson  we  may  learn  from  this  subject, 
and  that  is,  that  the  sin  of  neglecting  Jesus  is  especially  a  dreadful 
thing. 

This  was  the  great  sin  of  the  Jewish  people.  They  neglected 
Jesus.  He  was  the  Messiah,  or  great  deliverer,  who  had  so 
long  been  promised  to  them.  He  came  not  only  to  be  “  a  light 
to  lighten  the  Gentiles,”  but  also  to  be  “  the  glory  of  his  people 
Israel.”  And  yet  when  “  He  came  to  his  own,  his  own  received 
him  not.”  They  would  not  listen  to  His  teaching.  They  re¬ 
fused  to  receive  Him  as  their  Saviour.  They  reviled  Him,  and 
persecuted  Him,  and  put  Him  to  death.  And  this  was  the  great 
cause  of  all  the  trouble  which  has  come  upon  them  and  their 
city.  You  remember  on  one  occasion  when  Jesus  was  coming 


44 


ILLUSTRATED  RAMBLES 


down  the  Mount  of  Olives,  which  commands  a  full  view  of  Je¬ 
rusalem,  He  stopped  to  look  at  it,  and  think  of  all  the  terrible 
things  that  He  knew  would  happen  to  it  in  the  course  of  a  few 
years.  And  then  we  read  that  “  He  beheld  the  city,  and  wept 
over  it,  saying,  If  thou  hadst  known,  even  thou,  at  least  in  this 
thy  day,  the  things  which  belong  unto  thy  peace !  But  now 
they  are  hid  from  thine  eyes.  For  the  days  shall  come  upon 
thee  that  thine  enemies  shall  cast  a  trench  about  thee,  and 
compass  thee  round,  and  keep  thee  in  on  every  side,  and  shall 
lay  thee  even  with  the  ground,  and  thy  children  within  thee ; 
and  they  shall  not  leave  in  thee  one  stone  upon  another ;  because 
thou  knewest  not  the  time  of  thy  visitation.”  This  shows  us  that 
it  was  neglecting  Jesus  which  has  brought  upon  the  Jews  all 
their  troubles.  Then  let  us  take  care  that  we  do  not  repeat  the 
sin  of  the  Jews.  Let  us  not  neglect  Jesus  as  they  did.  But  let 
us  listen  to  His  voice  as  He  speaks  to  us.  Let  us  take  His  yoke 
upon  us ;  for  His  yoke  is  easy  and  His  burden  light,  and  we 
shall  find  rest  for  our  souls. 


IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


45 


CHAPTER  V. 

JERUSALEM  CONTINUED — THE  CHURCH  OF  THE  HOLY  SEPULCHRE — 
THE  MOSQUE  OF  OMAR — THE  VIA  DOLOROSA — THE  POOL  OF 
BETHE8DA. 


In  the  last  chapter  we  spoke  of  “  The  Jews’  Wailing  Place” 
as  the  first  place  we  visited  in  the  Holy  City.  In  this  chapter 
I  wish  to  speak  of  some  of  the  chief  places  of  interest  within  the 
walls  of  Jerusalem  which  were  afterwards  visited. 

The  first  of  these  to  which  we  give  our  attention  is  The 
Church  of  the  Holy  Sepulchre. 

If  we  could  only  be  sure  of  the  identity  of  the  localities 
grouped  together  within  the  limits  of  this  great  building,  there 
is  no  spot  on  the  surface  of  the  earth  that  would  be  so  truly 
interesting,  so  deeply  solemn,  as  this.  If  we  could  only  be  cer¬ 
tain  that  the  cross  on  which  Jesus  hung  “  in  agony  and  blood,” 
when  he  was  “  made  a  curse  for  us,”  was  really  set  up  in  the 
place  pointed  out  in  this  Church,  and  that  the  spot  where  he 
lay,  still  and  cold  in  death,  was  really  that  designated  as  the 
Holy  Sepulchre,  how  thrilling  it  would  be  to  stand  and  medi¬ 
tate  there !  But  it  is  impossible  to  have  any  certainty  about  it. 
We  are  told  by  one  of  the  sacred  writers  that  He  “  suffered 
without  the  gate,”  and  by  another  that  the  place  where  his 
crucifixion  occurred  “  was  nigh  to  the  city.”  Both  these 
statements  point  to  a  spot  outside  the  walls  of  the  ancient  city 
as  that  where  the  crucifixion  and  burial  of  Jesus  took  place. 
But  the  Church  of  the  Holy  Sepulchre,  which  covers  these 
reputed  hallowed  spots,  is  near  the  very  heart  of  the  city  as  it 
now  stands.  It  seems  impossible  to  imagine  that  these  localities 
could  ever  have  been  outside  the  walls  of  the  former  city.  And 
yet  there  are  not  wanting  men  of  learning  and  intelligence  who 
find  no  difficulty  in  admitting  the  genuineness  of  these  localities. 
The  question  is  one  that  will  probably  never  be  satisfactorily 
settled.  It  is  not  my  purpose  to  enter  into  a  discussion  of  this 


46 


ILL  USTRA  TEI)  RA  MBLES 


much-disputed  question,  but  simply  to  speak  of  the  Church 
and  its  enclosed  localities,  just  as  they  exist. 

The  present  Church  is  a  sort  of  patchwork  of  very  varied 
architecture.  Some  parts  of  it  date  back  to  the  time  of  the 
Crusades,  while  other  portions  are  of  much  more  modern  con¬ 
struction.  In  1808  a  large  part  of  the  building  was  destroyed 
by  fire,  but  it  was  subsequently  restored.  This  gives  to  that 
portion  of  it  quite  a  modern  aspect.  It  is  a  large  irregular  pile, 
350  feet  in  length  by  280  in  breadth.  The  style  of  architecture 
is  a  pointed  Romanesque  composition,  dark  and  heavy,  yet  truly 
picturesque.  The  lower  story  has  a  wide,  double  doorway,  with 
detached  shafts,  supporting  richly-sculptured  architraves  repre¬ 
senting  our  Lord’s  triumphant  entry  into  Jerusalem.  Over 
these  rise  carved  and  richly-moulded  arches.  Projecting  from 
the  front  of  the  Church,  on  the  left  hand  side,  stands  the  rem¬ 
nant  of  a  massive  campanile,  or  bell-tower,  formerly  of  five 
stories  high,  but  now  reduced  to  three. 

On  entering  the  building,  the  aspect  which  it  presents  is  that 
of  gloomy  grandeur.  The  whole  interior  is  filled  up  with  re¬ 
puted  sacred  localities  connected  with  the  sufferings,  death  and 
resurrection  of  our  blessed  Lord.  Of  these  there  are  altogether 
about  seventy.  As  you  look  round  the  vast  enclosure  there 
seems  to  be  no  end  to  aisles,  windows,  stairways,  vaults,  tombs, 
dark  recesses,  chapels,  oratories,  altars,  concealed  relics,  and 
such  like  sacred  attractions. 

Some  of  these  localities  are  appropriated  to  the  exclusive  use 
of  one,  and  some  to  another,  of  the  five  bodies  of  Christians 
represented  there,  viz.,  the  Romish,  the  Greek,  the  Armenian, 
the  Syrian,  and  the  Coptic  Churches.  Others,  again,  are  held 
in  common  by  them  all,  and  are  used  by  each  in  turn. 

Of  course  the  object  of  chief  attraction  is  that  after  which  the 
building  takes  its  name,  The  Holy  Sepulchre.  Externally  it  is 
covered  by  a  small  marble  house,  26  feet  long  by  18  broad,  and 
pentagonal  at  the  west  end.  It  is  cased  in  yellow  and  white 
stone,  ornamented  with  slender  semi-columns  and  pilasters,  and 
surmounted  by  a  dome  somewhat  resembling  a  crown.  Stooping 


Interior  ok  the  Church  ok  the  Holy  Sepulchre.  P.  46. 


IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


47 


low,  we  enter  by  a  narrow  door,  and  stand  within  the  reputed 
Sepulchre. 

A  great  number  of  lamps  of  gold  and  silver,  hung  from  the 
roof,  are  burning  continually,  and  shed  a  brilliant  light,  while 
fragrant  perfumes  and  sweet  incense  fill  the  air.  Here  the 
traveller  lingers, — solemnized,  almost  awe-stricken, — gazing  at 
pilgrim  after  pilgrim,  in  endless  succession,  crawling  in  on 
bended  knees,  pressing  lips  and  forehead  and  cheeks  to  the  cold 
marble,  bathing  it  with  tears  and  sobbing  as  if  the  heart  would 
break,  and  then  dragging  themselves  away,  still  in  the  attitude 
of  devotion,  until  the  threshold  is  .crossed  again. 

After  examining  the  Sepulchre,  and  indulging  in  the  thoughts 
and  feelings  naturally  suggested  by  such  an  object,  we  turned 
away  to  look  at  some  of  the  “  many  inventions”  which  have  been 
found  out  here.  There  is  the  altar  of  Melchizedek ;  the  chapel 
of  St.  John ;  the  tomb  of  Joseph  of  Arimathea ;  the  sweating 
pillar,  against  which  Jesus  is  said  to  have  leaned  on  the  way  to 
Calvary  ;  the  chapel  of  the  division  of  the  garments ;  and  of  the 
finding  of  the  true  cross ;  the  place  where  Mary  Magdalene 
stood ;  the  altar  of  the  penitent  thief ;  the  marble  chair  in 
which  St.  Helena  sat ;  the  sacred  spot  which  marks  the  centre 
of  the  earth,  and  from  under  which  the  dust  w’as  taken  out  of 
which  the  body  of  Adam  Avas  made;  the  rent  in  the  rock 
whence  his  skull  leaped  out ;  and  so  on,  and  so  on,  till  we  felt 
our  hearts  sicken  within  us  to  think  of  the  depth  of  human 
credulity  on  the  one  hand,  and  the  utter  shamelessness  of  the 
priests  in  ministering  to  that  credulity  on  the  other. 

I  left  the  Church  with  two  thoughts  deeply  impressed  on  my 
mind,  as  the  result  of  my  visit.  This  was  one  of  them :  How 
careful  God  has  been  to  discourage  that  feeling  of  veneration  for 
shrines  and  sacred  places  which  brings  such  vmltitudes  from  the 
ends  of  the  earth  to  worship  at  the  Sepulchre  of  Jesus. 

God  has  so  ordered  things  that  no  amount  of  human  learning 
can  establish  the  remotest  connection  between  any  act  of  our 
Saviour’s  life  and  one  of  those  so-called  sacred  places.  And  in 
this  uncertainty  which  hangs  over  such  localities,  Ave  see  the 


48 


ILL  USTRA  TED  RA MBLES 


hand  of  God.  How  easy  it  would  have  been  for  him  to  have 
put  such  a  mark  on  these  spots  that  there  could  have  been  uo 
doubt  about  their  identity !  But  neither  the  writers  of  the 
gospels  nor  the  apostles  in  their  epistles  make  auy  reference  to 
them  by  which  their  actual  locality  can  be  determined. 

And  this  is  just  in  keeping  with  that  feature  of  God’s  dealing 
with  his  people  in  old  times,  which  led  him  to  commission  the 
angels  to  act  as  undertakers  for  his  servant  Moses,  and  to  have 
his  funeral  conducted  with  so  much  secrecy  that  “no  man 
knoweth  of  his  sepulchre  unto  this  day.”  And  so  the  grave  of 
Melchizedek,  the  typical  priest — of  Joseph,  the  rejected  and 
sold  of  his  brethren — of  Joshua,  the  captain  and  leader  of  the 
people — of  David,  the  shepherd  and  king  of  Israel — of  John 
the  Baptist,  the  forerunner  of  Jesus — and  of  Mary,  the  Virgin 
Mother,  whom  all  nations  were  to  call  blessed — the  tombs  of  all 
these  have  been  designedly  and  irrecoverably  concealed.  And 
the  same  watchful  care  hid  forever  the  instruments  of  the 
Saviour’s  passion,  and  the  exact  spot  where  he  was  crucified, 
buried,  rose  again  to  life,  and  also  the  place  from  which  he 
ascended  into  heaven.  And  no  thoughtful  person  can  visit 
Jerusalem,  especially  about  Easter  time,  and  see  the  eager  mul¬ 
titudes  that  throng  there,  as  if  there  were  salvation  in  visiting 
those  localities,  without  feeling  how  wise  and  good  it  was  in  God 
to  efface  the  lines  by  which  it  would  have  been  possible  to  iden¬ 
tify  satisfactorily  these  sacred  localities. 

The  other  thought  suggested  by  our  visit  was  this : — How 
little  of  the  power  of  true  religion  is  exhibited  by  the  multitudes 
of  pilgrims  who  make  such  a  show  of  worship  in  connection  with 
these  reputed  sacred  places  !  A  most  impressive  illustration  of 
this  is  seen  in  the  presence  of  a  body  of  Turkish  soldiers  in  the 
Church  of  the  Holy  Sepulchre,  when  worship  is  going  on  there, 
at  the  time  of  the  great  festivals.  There  they  stand  with  guns  on 
their  shoulders,  and  glittering  bayonets  fixed  to  their  guns,  while 
the  Christians  are  at  worship.  And  what  are  those  soldiers  there 
for  ?  It  is  to  keep  the  Christians  from  quarrelling  and  tearing 
each  other  to  pieces  between  the  acts  of  their  devotion ! 


IJV  BIBLE  LANDS. 


49 


^  At  the  Easter  festival  in  1834,  a  fight  took  place  in  this 
Church  which  resulted  in  the  death  of  400  people.  In  the 
earlier  ages  of  the  Church,  the  enemies  of  the  gospel,  as  they 
saw  the  strength  of  the  tie  which  bound  the  followers  of  Jesus 
together,  were  forced  to  exclaim,  “See  how  these  Christians 
love  one  another!”  As  I  looked  on  those  soldiers  of  the  false 
prophet,  standing  in  a  Christian  temple,  to  keep  the  professed 
followers  of  the  Prince  of  peace  from  quarrelling  even  in  that 
sacred  place,  it  seemed  to  me  as  if  every  glittering  bayonet  was 
silently  repeating  those  ancient  words,  and  saying  in  hitter 
irony,  “ See  how  these  Christians  love  one  another!”  It  is  not 
visiting  the  place  of  Christ’s  birth  or  death  that  will  make  us 
any  better,  but  only  treading  in  his  footsteps  and  trying  to  be  like 
him. 

The  Mosque  of  Omar.— This  is  one  of  the  most  interesting 
places  to  visit  in  Jerusalem,  because  it  stands  where  Solomon’s 
temple  formerly  stood,  and  because  there  is  none  of  that  un¬ 
certainty  about  it  which  belongs  to  the  Church  of  the  Holy 
Sepulchre. 

In  order  to  be  permitted  to  enter  this  sacred  place,  application 
has  to  lie  made  to  the  Turkish  authorities,  and  an  appointed  fee 
to  be  paid.  We  had  made  these  preparations  the  day  before. 
Soon  after  breakfast,  the  government  official  appointed  as  our 
conductor  appeared  at  our  tent.  He  was  gorgeously  arrayed, 
and  marched  before  us  in  great  state,  carrying  a  huge  silver 
staff  as  his  badge  of  office.  This  seemed  like  a  very  formal  way 
of  proceeding. 

The  gate  of  entrance  opened  before  us  as  soon  as  our  stately 
bearer  of  the  silver  mace  made  his  appearance  there.  The  first 
thing  required  of  us  on  crossing  the  threshold  was  to  encase 
our  feet  in  huge  felt  slippers,  that  no  ouside  dust  from  infidel 
feet  might  pollute  the  hallowed' ground. 

The  temple  enclosure  is  called  “The  Haram.”  The  first 
thing  about  it  that  strikes  the  observer  is  its  great  size.  It 
contains  about  thirty-five  acres.  Its  outline  and  boundaries  are 
so  iiregulai,  that  it  is  difficult  to  arrive  at  accuracy  in  its 


50 


ILLUSTRATED  RAMBLES 


measurement.  It  is  about  1500  feet  on  the  east  side,  1600  on 
the  west,  1000  on  the  north,  and  900  on  the  south  end.  The 
central  object  of  interest  within  this  enclosure  is,  of  course,  the 
Mosque  of  Omar.  This  is  a  large  octagonal  building,  of  dif¬ 
ferent  colored  polished  marble.  It  is  about  170  feet  in  diameter, 
each  of  its  sides  being  67  feet  long.  There  are  four  doors  at  the 
opposite  cardinal  points.  It  is  surmounted  by  a  dome,  sustained 
by  four  great  piers,  and  has  twelve  arches  which  rest  on  columns. 
It  is  supposed  that  it  was  originally  a  Christian  church,  and  that 
it  was  turned  into  a  mosque  by  the  Turks,  when  they  got  pos¬ 
session  of  Jerusalem.  This  mosque  is  believed  to  stand  on  the 
top  of  Mount  Moriah,  on  which  Abraham,  as  we  read  in  the 
22d  chapter  of  Genesis,  was  going  to  offer  up  his  son  Isaac  as  a 
sacrifice,  when  the  angel  of  the  Lord  called  to  him  out  of  heaven, 
and  told  him  not  to  do  it. 

In  the  centre  of  the  mosque,  directly  under  the  dome,  or  the 
highest  part  of  the  building,  is  a  great  mass  of  rock,  which  is 
said  to  have  been  the  top  of  Mount  Moriah.  It  is  left  just  in 
its  natural  state.  The  Turks  are  more  sensible  about  such 
things  than  the  Roman  Catholics.  If  they  had  it,  they  would 
be  most  likely  to  cover  it  all  over  with  marble,  so  that  no  one 
could  see  it,  as  they  do  with  their  other  sacred  places.  But  the 
Turks,  very  properly,  have  left  it  just  as  it  was.  And  it  is  very 
interesting  to  stand  there,  and  think,  as  you  look  at  that  rock, 
that  just  there,  it  may  be,  the  good  old  patriarch  stood,  when 
he  built  the  altar,  “  and  laid  the  wood  in  order,  and  bound 
Isaac,  and  laid  him  on  the  altar,  and  stretched  forth  his  hand, 
and  took  the  knife  to  slay  his  son.”  What  wonderful  faith 
Abraham  had  in  God  ! 

This  rock  stands  about  six  feet  above  the  floor  of  the  Mosque. 
It  is  irregular  in  form,  a  mass  of  about  fifty  feet  by  forty.  The 
building  is  richly  ornamented  in  the  style  of  the  early  Christian 
and  Moslem  buildings,  with  gilded  Mosaic  work  covering  almost 
the  entire  Avails.  Here  and  there  pieces  of  antique  marble  and 
porphyry  are  let  into  the  walls,  as  if  to  preserve  them.  These, 
and  some  of  the  columns  supporting  the  pointed  arches,  are  of 


IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


51 


great  antiquity ;  and  some  have  supposed  that  they  may  even 
be  relics  of  the  original  temple  itself. 

Both  Jews  and  Mahommedans  believe  in  the  sacredness  of 
this  rock,  and  they  both  have  many  traditions  connected  with 
it.  The  Jews  profess  to  believe  that  the  ark  of  the  covenant, 
built  by  Moses  in  the  wilderness,  and  which  has  been  lost  since 
the  time  of  the  first  captivity,  is  hidden  away  within  the  bosom 
of  this  rock. 

The  Mahommedans  say  that  when  Mahomet  went  to  heaven 
he  ascended  from  the  top  of  this  rock.  They  point  to  a  mark 
in  the  side  of  the  rock,  resembling  somewhat  the  shape  of  a 
man’s  foot,  which  they  say  is  the  impression  left  by  the  foot  of 
the  prophet  when  he  took  his  flight  up  to  heaven.  And  then 
they  point  to  three  other  marks,  near  this,  very  much  like  the 
marks  which  a  man’s  fingers  would  make,  if  pressed  upon  a 
mass  of  clay ;  these  they  affirm  are  the  marks  of  the  angel 
Gabriel’s  fingers.  For  when  Mahomet  went  up  to  heaven  from 
this  spot,  the  rock  was  going  up  after  him,  when  Gabriel  took 
hold  of  it  and  held  it  down ;  and  these  are  the  marks  which  his 
fingers  left  on  the  rock  ! 

There  can  be  little  doubt  that  the  great  altar  of  burnt-offering 
in  Solomon’s  temple  stood  upon  this  rock.  Directly  under  the 
rock  itself  is  a  curious  chamber,  enclosed  and  surrounded  by 
stone  walls,  reaching  from  the  floor  to  the  under  side  of  the 
rock.  A  hole  has  been  drilled  through  this  rock,  from  the  top 
into  the  chamber  beneath.  In  the  floor  of  this  chamber  there 
is  a  well,  or  passage,  which  is  said  to  lead  down  into  the  Valley 
of  Kedron,  beyond  the  limits  of  the  Holy  Place.  This  hole  in 
the  rock,  and  the  well  or  passage  from  the  chamber  beneath, 
were  no  doubt  used  for  the  purpose  of  carrying  away  the  blood 
of  the  sacrifices  offered,  at  times,  in  such  vast  numbers  in  the 
temple. 

After  going  through  the  Mosque  of  Omar  and  the  enclosed 
area  of  the  temple,  and  examining  the  different  objects  of  inte¬ 
rest  above  ground,  we  descended  to  the  vaults  beneath.  These 
vaults  extend  under  a  considerable  portion  of  the  space  enclosed 


ILL  USTltA  TED  RA  MBL  ES 


by  the  area  of  the  temple.  The  pillars,  arches  and  roofs  of  these 
vaults  are  of  the  most  massive  character.  The  magnitude  of  the 
stones,  and  the  workmanship,  as  compared  with  the  remaining 
monuments  of  Herod,  seem  to  point  to  an  earlier  origin.  They 
are  supposed  to  be  parts  of  the  original  foundations  built  by 
Solomon,  for  sustaining  the  temple  and  the  space  enclosed 
around.  One  cannot  fail  to  gaze  upon  these  relics  of  the  distant 
past  with  emotions  of  peculiar  interest  and  awe.  Ages  on  ages 
have  rolled  away ;  yet  these  foundatioDs  still  endure,  and  are 
as  immovable  as  at  the  beginning.  Nor  is  there  anything  in 
the  present  physical  condition  of  these  remains  to  prevent  them 
from  continuing  as  long  as  the  world  shall  last.  It  wTas  the 
temple  of  the  living  God,  and,  like  the  everlasting  hills  on 
which  it  stood,  its  foundations  were  laid  for  all  time. 

We  turned  away  from  our  visit  to  these  sacred  localities  wTith 
mingling  emotions  of  subdued  solemnity.  There  was  the  re¬ 
membrance  of  the  grandeur  of  the  past,  the  sight  of  the  desola¬ 
tion  of  the  present,  and  the  expectation  of  the  glory  of  the 
future,  uniting  to  fill  the  mind  with  thoughts  and  feelings  not 
soon  to  be  forgotten,  and  hardly  to  be  called  forth  in  any  other 
locality. 

The  Via  Dolorosa,  or  The  Sorrowful  Way. — This  is 
the  next  place  in  the  Holy  City  of  which  I  wish  to  speak. 

The  people  in  Jerusalem  pretend  that  this  narrow,  dark  street 
is  the  very  one  along  which  our  blessed  Saviour  walked,  carry¬ 
ing  the  cross  on  his  back,  when  he  was  going  from  the  hall  of 
Pilate,  where  he  had  been  condemned  to  death,  to  Calvary, 
where  he  was  crucified.  If  this  were  true,  it  would  be  very 
interesting  and  very  solemn  to  walk  along  this  sorrowful  way, 
and  to  think  of  the  dreadful  sufferings  that  Jesus  must  have 
borne  when  he  went  staggering  under  the  heavy  cross  for  us. 
But  we  know  that  this  cannot  be  the  way  along  which  Jesus 
walked,  for  about  fifty  years  after  the  death  of  Jesus,  a 
Roman  army  came  to  Jerusalem  and  destroyed  it.  The  temple 
was  burned.  The  walls  of  the  city  were  overturned.  The 
houses  were  all  pulled  down.  Nothing  was  left  of  the  city  but 


IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


53 


a  heap  of  ruins.  Those  ruins  remained  for  hundreds  of  years 
before  the  city  was  built  up  again.  And  when  it  came  to 
be  rebuilt,  it  was  impossible  for  anybody  to  tell  exactly 
where  Pilate’s  judgment  hall  had  stood,  in  which  Jesus  was 
condemned ;  and  nobody  could  tell  just  where  the  street 
was  along  which  Jesus  walked  to  Calvary.  Indeed  nobody 
has  ever  been  able  to  tell  with  any  certainty  where  Calvary 
itself  was. 

And  yet  the  scene  to  which  this  picture  refers  is  an  interest¬ 
ing  one,  because  of  its  supjwsed  connection  with  the  sufferings 
of  Jesus.  But  having  told  you  the  reason  why  I  believe  it  can¬ 
not  be  the  real  way  along  which  Jesus  carried  his  cross,  I  want 
to  describe  this  way  to  you  as  it  is,  and  to  tell  you  what  we  saw 
when  we  walked  along  this  Sorrowful  Way. 

It  is  a  narrow,  gloomy  street.  There  are  several  arched 
passages  in  it.  You  can  see  one  of  these  arches  in  our  picture. 
Groups  of  pilgrims  are  often  met  along  this  street,  stopping  at 
the  different  sacred  places  on  the  way. 

This  Sorrowful  Way  begins  at  a  house  which  is  said  to  stand 
where  the  palace  of  Pilate  once  stood.  Here,  on  the  left,  are 
two  old  arches  in  the  wall,  which  are  built  up.  In  this  place 
there  used  to  be  a  long  flight  of  white  marble  steps.  They  were 
called  “  The  Holy  Steps.”  They  were  said  to  be  the  very  steps 
which  led  to  Pilate’s  house,  and  up  which  Jesus  is  supposed  to 
have  walked.  A  good  many  years  ago  these  steps  were  carried 
away  to  the  city  of  Rome.  There  they  have  been  set  up  in  one 
of  the  principal  churches.  The  Roman  Catholics  there  kiss 
them,  and  climb  up  them  on  their  knees,  and  think  that  this 
will  help  to  make  them  holy  and  good.  On  the  opposite  side 
of  the  street,  here,  is  a  church  called  the  “  Church  of  Crowning 
of  Thorns.”  This  they  say  is  built  on  the  spot  where  Jesus 
was  scourged  and  had  the  crown  of  thorns  put  on  his  head.  A 
little  further  on,  there  is  an  arch  across  the  street.  This  is 
called  the  “  Ecce  Homo  Arch.”  You  can  see  this  arch  in  our 
picture.  It  was  here,  they  say,  that  what  we  read  of  in  John 
xix.  5  took  place,  where  it  says :  “  Then  came  Jesus  forth, 


54 


ILL  USTRA  TED  RA MBL ES 


wearing  the  crown  of  thorns  and  the  purple  robe.  And  Pilate 
saith  unto  them,  Behold  the  man  !” 

Going  further  on,  we  came  to  a  spot  where  they  say  Jesus 
fainted  under  the  cross,  and  leaned  against  the  wall  of  a  house ; 
and  in  one  of  the  stones  of  that  house  is  a  hollow  place,  which 
they  say  was  the  impression  left  by  his  shoulder.  At  one  place 
along  this  way  they  point  out  the  House  of  Dives,  in  which 
they  say  the  rich  man  lived,  of  whom  we  read  in  our  Saviour’s 
parable  in  Luke  xvi.  19,  A  stone  in  front  of  the  house  is 
pointed  out  as  that  on  which  Lazarus  sat  and  begged. 

Then  we  turned  another  corner,  and  went  up  a  hill,  and  the 
place  is  pointed  out  where  they  say  Jesus  fell  down  the  second 
time  under  the  cross.  Then  we  came  to  the  House  of  Saint  Ve¬ 
ronica,  where  they  say  a  good  woman  of  that  name  came  out 
and  gave  Jesus  a  handkerchief  to  wdpe  his  bleeding  brow. 
There  are  other  stations,  too,  along  this  way ;  one  is  the  spot, 
marked  by  a  broken  column,  where  it  is  said  the  soldiers  com¬ 
pelled  Simon  to  carry  the  cross,  and  the  place  where  it  is 
said  that  Jesus  turned  and  said  to  the  women  who  followed 
him  weeping :  “  Daughters  of  Jerusalem,  weep  not  for  me, 
but  weep  for  yourselves  and  for  your  children.”  Then  this 
way  leads  up  to  the  Church  of  the  Holy  Sepulchre,  in  which 
they  say  is  the  place  where  the  cross  was  set  up,  and  Jesus  was 
crucified. 

As  I  said  before,  I  do  not  believe  that  any  of  these  places  are 
the  real  places  where  the  things  spoken  of  actually  occurred. 
But  wTe  know  that  these  things  did  take  place.  There  was  a 
way  along  which  Jesus  walked  from  Pilate’s  hall  to  Calvary. 
And  that  was  really  a  Sorroufid  Way.  And  when  we  think  of 
that  way,  and  all  that  Jesus  suffered  for  our  sins  as  he 
walked  along  it,  we  may  well  say, — 

“  O  Lamb  of  God  !  was  ever  pain. 

Was  ever  love  like  thine?” 


The  only  other  place  of  which  we  shall  speak  in  this 
chapter,  is 


Pool  of  Bethesdji  . 


IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


55 


The  Pool,  or  Bethesda. — We  read  about  this  pool  in  the 
fifth  chapter  of  John,  from  the  second  to  the  ninth  verses. 
There  we  are  told  that  this  pool  was  near  the  sheep  market,  in 
Jerusalem,  and  that  it  was  called  Bethesda.  The  meaning  of 
this  is  “  the  house  of  mercy.”  This  is  a  very  appropriate  name 
for  such  a  place,  because  it  was  a  place  where  God  was  pleased 
to  show  mercy  to  a  great  many  people.  Around  this  pool,  we 
are  told,  there  were  five  porches.  In  these  there  used  to  be 
always  a  great  many  sick  people  lying  and  waiting  to  be 
healed.  John  tells  us  that  an  angel  used  to  go  down  at  certain 
seasons  and  trouble  the  water,  and  the  first  person  who  went  in 
after  this  troubling  of  the  water  was  sure  to  be  healed  of  his 
sickness,  or  disease,  whatever  it  was. 

One  day,  when  Jesus  was  walking  by  this  pool,  he  saw  a  poor 
man  lying  there,  who  had  been  lame,  or  sick  in  some  way,  for 
thirty-eight  years.  Jesus  knew  how  long  he  had  waited  there, 
and  how  often  he  had  been  disappointed  by  having  somebody 
step  in  before  him,  after  the  water  had  been  troubled,  and  he 
felt  a  great  pity  for  the  poor  man.  He  resolved  to  make  him 
well  at  once,  without  having  to  wait  any  longer  for  the  water. 
So  he  said  to  him,  “  Bise,  take  up  thy  bed  and  walk.”  The 
man  did  so,  and  found  himself  made  well  in  a  moment. 

Well,  the  picture  on  the  opposite  page  represents  what  is  sup¬ 
posed  to  be  the  “  Pool  of  Bethesda.”  It  is  not  much  of  a  pool 
at  the  present  day.  Like  the  pit  into  which  Joseph  was  cast  by 
his  brethren,  “  it  is  dry  ;  there  is  no  water  in  it.”  It  is  a  large 
basin  or  reservoir  just  outside  the  northern  wall  of  the  enclosure 
within  which  Solomon’s  temple  formerly  stood.  If  you  look  at 
the  picture,  you  will  see  that  instead  of  water  there  is  nothing 
in  the  pool  now  but  heaps  of  dirt  or  rubbish.  The  pool  mea¬ 
sures  360  feet  in  length,  130  in  breadth,  and  75  in  depth  to  the 
bottom  where  the  rubbish  is. 

If  we  could  only  know  that  this  was  the  very  same  pool  whose 
water  the  angel  used  to  trouble,  and  in  whose  porches  so  many 
sick  people  used  to  be  lying,  and  by  which  Jesus  was  walking 
when  he  stopped  to  pity  and  heal  the  lame  man,  how  interesting 


56 


ILL  USTRA  TED  RAMBLES 


it  would  be  for  us  now  to  visit  the  pool,  and  think  of  Jesus,  with 
his  heart  to  pity  and  his  wonderful  power  to  heal !  But  there 
is  no  certainty  about  this.  We  know  that  Jerusalem  has  been 
utterly  destroyed  since  then.  The  walls  around  it  and  the 
buildings  within  it  have  been  levelled  to  the  ground.  They 
remained  so  for  hundreds  of  years.  And  when  the  city  came 
to  be  built  up  again,  it  would  be  almost  impossible  to  find  out 
just  where  many  of  the  buildings  and  places  stood  which  were 
known  when  our  Saviour  was  on  earth. 

But  though  I  could  not  be  sure  it  was  the  same  place,  I  yet 
felt  a  great  interest  in  visiting  what  was  said  to  be  the  “  Pool 
of  Bethesda.” 

And  the  interest  of  the  visit  lay  in  this,  that  it  suggested  so 
many  pleasant  thoughts  of  Jesus.  It  was  pleasant  to  think  that 
either  there  or  somewhere  near  there  Jesus  did  stand,  and  look 
with  pity  upon  the  suffering  sick  people  that  were  around  him. 
It  was  pleasant  to  think  that  either  there  or  somewhere  near 
there  he  spoke  the  wonderful  words  which  made  the  man  who 
had  been  a  bed-ridden  cripple  for  thirty -eight  years  well  in  a 
moment.  And  then  it  was  pleasant  to  think  of  the  difference 
between  the  healing  power  of  that  old  Pool  of  Bethesda  and 
the  wonderful  “  fountain  for  sin  and  for  uncleanness”  which 
Jesus  himself  opened  on  the  cross. 

That  Pool  of  Bethesda  could  only  heal  at  certain  seasons, 
when  the  angel  came  down  and  troubled  the  water.  But  the 
fountain  which  Jesus  has  opened  is  able  to  heal  and  cleanse 
at  all  times.  By  day  or  by  night,  in  summer  or  in  winter, 
whenever  people  come  to  this  fountain  in  the  way  in  which  the 
Bible  directs  them  to  come,  they  find  it  has  power  to  make 
them  well. 

And  then  the  Pool  of  Bethesda  had  power  to  cure  sick 
people  only  one  at  a  time.  “  Whosoever  then  first  after  the 
troubling  of  the  waters  stepped  in  was  made  whole.”  Then 
everybody  had  to  wait  till  the  angel  came  again  to  trouble  the 
waters.  This  was  a  slow  way  of  healing,  when  there  were  many 
to  be  healed,  and  the  angel  probably  did  not  come  very  often. 


IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


57 


But  the  fountain  that  Jesus  has  opened  is  able  to  heal  as 
many  as  come  to  it.  On  the  day  of  Pentecost,  under  a  single 
sermon  that  Peter  preached,  three  thousand  people  were  healed 
in  this  fountain  at  once.  And  if  the  number  had  been  thirty 
thousand,  or  three  hundred  thousand,  instead  of  three,  it  would 
have  made  no  difference.  This  fountain  is  able  to  cleanse  and 
heal  all  who  come  to  it  in  the  right  way. 

And  again,  the  power  which  the  Pool  of  Bethesda  once  had  to 
heal  is  lost  now.  We  cannot  tell  for  certain  where  the  pool  is. 
There  is  no  water  in  it,  if  we  could  tell.  And  if  there  were 
water  in  it,  it  would  have  no  power  to  heal  the  sick  any  longer. 

But  the  fountain  which  Jesus  opened  is  as  able  to  heal  and 
cleanse  now  as  ever  it  was.  We  know  where  to  find  this  foun¬ 
tain.  Jesus  says :  “  Look  unto  me,  and  be  ye  saved,  all  the 
ends  of  the  earth.”  And  Paul  says  of  Him  that  “  He  is  able 
to  save  them  to  the  uttermost  that  come  unto  God  by  Him.” 
And  what  is  true  of  this  fountain  now,  in  this  respect,  will 
always  be  true  of  it.  So  that  we  may  well  say,  in  the  language 
of  the  hymn, — 

“  Dear  dying  Lamb,  thy  precious  blood 
Shall  never  lose  its  power, 

Till  all  the  ransomed  Church  of  God 
Be  saved  to  sin  no  more.” 


58 


ILLUSTRATED  RAMBLES 


CHAPTER  VI. 

ROUND  ABOUT  JERUSALEM — THE  VALLEY  OF  HINNOM — ISAIAH’S 
TREE  —  THE  POOL  OF  SILOAM  —  ABSALOM’S  PILLAR  —  THE 
GARDEN  OF  GETHSEMANE — THE  MOUNT  OF  OLIVES. 

Let  me  give  an  account  here  of  an  afternoon’s  ramble 
“  round  about  Jerusalem.” 

Starting  from  our  encampment  by  the  Jaffa  gate  on  the 
western  side  of  the  city,  we  had  an  afternoon’s  walk  before  us, 
more  full  of  deep  and  stirring  interest,  and  taking  in  a  greater 
number  of  places  connected  with  the  history  of  the  Bible,  than 
it  is  possible  to  find  crowded  into  the  same  space  anywhere  else. 
I  cannot  stop  to  speak  of  all  the  interesting  objects  that  one 
sees  in  the  course  of  such  a  ramble.  It  would  require  a  whole 
volume,  instead  of  a  single  chapter,  in  order  to  do  this.  I  can 
only  speak  of  some  of  the  principal  objects  found  there. 

Our  path  lay  first  across  “  the  valley  of  Hinnom,”  so  often 
mentioned  in  the  Old  Testament,  as  the  place  where  the  sangui¬ 
nary  idol  Moloch,  “  the  abomination  of  Moab,”  was  set  up,  and 
the  degenerate  Israelites  “  burned  their  sons  and  their  daughters 
in  the  fire.”  The  bottom  of  the  valley  is  now  beautiful' in  its 
cultivation,  and  the  sides  of  the  valley  opposite  to  the  city  are 
filled  with  graves,  showing  how  literally  the  words  of  the 
prophet  have  been  fulfilled,  in  which  he  says,  “  they  shall  bury 
in  Tophet  till  there  be  no  place.”  Jer,  vii.  32.  Crossing  over 
the  valley,  we  passed  along  near  “  the  hill  of  evil  counsel,”  with 
a  ruined  house  upon  it,  said  to  mark  the  spot  where  Caiaphas 
had  a  house  in  which  the  chief  priests  took  counsel  together 
over  the  thirty  pieces  of  silver — the  price  of  his  treachery — - 
which  Judas  brought  forth  and  threw  down  at  their  feet,  when 
they  resolved  “  to  purchase  therewith  the  potter’s  field  to  bury 
strangers  in.”  It  is  this  fact  which  has  given  to  the  spot  its 
inglorious  name.  A  little  beyond  this  is  the  reputed  site  of 
Aceldama,  “  the  field  of  blood,”  bought  with  “  the  price  of 
blood,”  which  Judas  returned.  It  is  a  long,  vaulted  building 


Absalom’s  Pillar  or  Tomb 


P.  59 


IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


59 


of  massive  masonry,  in  front  of  a  precipice  of  rock,  in  which  is 
a  deep,  dark,  gloomy-looking  cave. 

Going  on  from  this,  we  passed  by  what  used  to  be  called 
“  The  King’s  Garden,”  and  which  is  still  a  portion  of  the  valley 
marked  by  the  most  luxuriant  cultivation.  At  one  corner  of 
this  beautiful  spot  is  a  venerable-looking  mulberry  tree,  with  a 
heap  of  stones  raised  around  it  for  protection,  and  pillars  of 
stone  built  up  to  support  some  of  its  larger  limbs.  This  is 
called  “  Isaiah’s  Tree,”  and  is  said  to  mark  the  spot  where  that 
devoted  and  venerable  servant  of  God  was  sawn  asunder  by  the 
order  of  the  wicked  King  Manasseh.  Kot  far  from  this  we 
came  to 

“  Siloa’s  brook,  that  flowed 
Fast  by  the  oracle  of  God.” 

The  Pool  of  Siloam  is  a  rectangular  reservoir  53  feet  long, 
18  wide,  and  19  feet  deep,  partly  broken  away  at  the  western 
end.  It  has  no  fountain  in  itself ;  but  at  the  upper  end  is  an 
arched  entrance  to  a  ruinous  staircase,  by  which  we  descend  to 
the  mouth  of  a  conduit,  through  which  a  stream  of  water  flows 
by  an  underground  course,  from  a  spring  further  up  the  valley, 
and  known  as  the  “  Fountain  of  the  Virgin.”  We  went  down 
the  steps  and  drank  of  the  water.  It  is  clear  and  pleasant,  but 
not  very  cool.  In  watching  the  gentle  course  of  the  stream  we 
were  reminded  of  Isaiah’s  mention  of  “  the  waters  of  Shiloah 
that  go  softly,”  chapter  viii.  6 ;  and  also  of  our  Saviour’s  gra¬ 
cious  command  to  the  blind  man,  with  the  miracle  of  mercy 
that  followed  it,  when  He  said,  “  Go,  wTash  in  the  Pool  of  Si- 
loam.  .  .  .  ITe  went  his  way,  therefore,  and  washed,  and 

came  seeing.”  John  ix.  7.  Hastening  on  from  this  point,  we 
passed  and  paused  a  moment  to  look  at  Absalom’s  Pillar. 

Let  us  pause  here  and  meditate  on  The  Pillar  of  Absa¬ 
lom,  and  its  Lessons. — On  the  opposite  page  is  a  picture  of 
this  pillar.  It  was  drawn  from  a  photograph  taken  on  the  spot; 
so  you  may  be  sure  it  gives  a  correct  view  of  it.  This  tomb  is 
situated  in  the  valley  of  Jehoshaphat,  which  lies  not  far  from 
the  walls  of  Jerusalem  on  the  eastern  side.  The  lower  part  of 


60 


ILL  USTRA  TED  RA3IBLES 


this  tomb,  or  monument,  the  part  on  which  you  see  the  columns 
and  other  ornaments,  with  a  cornice,  or  border,  along  the  top 
of  them,  has  all  been  hewn  out  from  one  great  stone.  Each 
side  is  about  twenty  feet  wide.  Above  this  is  another  square 
part,  built  of  ditferent  pieces  of  stone.  The  rest  of  it  above  this 
is  round,  ending  in  a  sort  of  curved  pyramid.  The  whole 
height  is  about  54  feet.  The  lower  part  of  the  tomb  has  been 
hollowed  out,  making  a  chamber  inside  of  it.  There  is  a  door 
of  entrance  to  this,  above  the  columns.  This  has  been  much 
battered  and  broken  by  a  practice  which  the  Jews  have  long 
kept  up.  Their  custom  is  to  throw  a  stone  at  the  monument 
and  to  spit  at  it,  whenever  they  pass  by,  in  order  to  show  their 
dislike  of  the  character  of  Absalom.  In  the  picture  you  can 
see  a  great  heap  of  stones  lying  round  the  foot  of  the  monu¬ 
ment,  and  also  on  the  threshold  of  the  door  or  entrance  to  the 
tomb.  This  is  the  way  in  which  they  came  there.  I  threw  two 
stones  inside  of  the  monument,  and  one  on  the  heap  outside  of 
it,  and  also  imitated  the  Jewish  custom  of  spitting  at  it,  while  I 
was  standing  near  it,  to  show  my  dislike  of  the  conduct  of  the 
bad  man  whose  name  is  connected  with  it. 

We  read  of  Absalom,  that  in  his  lifetime  he  “reared  up  for 
himself  a  pillar,  which  is  in  the  king’s  dale ;  because  he  had  no 
son.”  2  Samuel  xviii.  18.  The  picture  before  us  does  not 
represent  the  pillar  which  Absalom  built.  It  is  not  known 
when,  or  by  whom,  the  monument  seen  in  our  picture  was  built 
It  is  enough  for  us  to  know  that  Absalom’s  name  is  connected 
with  it,  and  that  it  is  treated  in  the  way  in  which  I  have 
spoken. 

Absalom  was  a  very  handsome  young  man.  He  had  a  head 
of  fine  long  hair,  of  which  he  was  very  proud.  He  was  also 
very  vain  and  selfish.  He  stirred  up  the  people  to  engage  in  a 
rebellion  against  his  father.  The  way  in  which  he  did  this  you 
can  read  in  2  Samuel  xv.  1-13.  He  drove  his  father  away 
from  his  home  in  Jerusalem,  and  tried  to  kill  him,  in  order  that 
he  might  be  made  king  in  his  stead.  But  his  army  was  de¬ 
feated  in  battle  by  the  soldiers  of  David ;  and  as  Absalom  w7as 


IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


61 


fleeing  away  from  the  battle-field,  on  the  back  of  a  mule,  he 
was  caught  by  his  long  hair  in  the  branches  of  an  oak  tree, 
and  as  he  was  hanging  there,  Joab,  the  captain  of  David’s  army, 
thrust  three  darts  through  his  body  and  killed  him. 

Such  was  the  life  and  such  the  death  of  the  bad  man  whose 
name  is  connected  with  the  monument  near  Jerusalem  which  is 
represented  in  our  picture.  And  there  are  several  very  useful 
lessons  that  we  may  learn  from  this  subject. 

In  the  first  place,  we  see  how  wrong  it  is  to  be  proud  or  vain  on 
account  oj  our  good  looks.  Absalom  was  proud  of  his  beauty, 
and  this  led  him  into  the  sin  of  rebellion.  He  was  proud  of  his 
long  hair,  and  God  caused  this  to  be  the  means  of  his  death. 
If  we  have  health  and  strength  and  beauty,  we  may  well  feel 
thankful  for  these  blessings,  because  they  are  God’s  gifts  to  us. 
But  to  be  proud  of  them,  or  to  think  ourselves  better  than 
others  on  account  of  them,  is  very  foolish  and  very  sinful.  It 
is  no  merit  of  ours  if  we  are  stronger,  or  fairer,  or  better-looking 
than  some  other  people.  Ornaments  of  the  mind  are  a  great 
deal  more  valuable  than  those  of  the  body.  God  does  not  care 
much  how  our  bodies  look,  but  He  cares  a  great  deal  about  the 
state  of  our  hearts  and  souls.  The  Bible  tells  us  that  “  the 
ornament  of  a  meek  and  quiet  spirit  is,  in  the  sight  of  God, 
of  great  price.” 

The  second  lesson  we  may  learn  from  this  subject  is,  how  long  a 
bad  name  lasts. 

Absalom  has  been  dead  now  for  about  three  thousand  years, 
and  yet  the  memory  of  his  bad  conduct  to  his  father,  of  his  dis¬ 
obedience  and  rebellion,  is  just  as  fresh  as  if  he  had  only  died 
yesterday.  And  it  will  be  the  same  when  three  thousand  years 
more  have  passed  away.  lie  covered  his  name  with  disgrace 
by  his  bad  conduct,  and  now  it  is  impossible  for  that  disgrace 
to  be  done  away.  And  though  we  may  not  spit  out  when  we 
hear  the  name  of  Absalom,  or  cast  stones  at  his  monument  as 
the  Jews  do,  yet  we  cannot  help  feeling  great  disgust  at  the 
thought  of  his  wickedness.  And  just  so  long  as  the  name  of 
Absalom  lasts  it  will  always  be  so.  He  put  bad  marks  all 


62 


ILL  USTRA  TED  RA MB LES 

round  his  name,  by  the  sins  which  he  committed  ;  and  now  all 
the  angels  in  heaven  can  never  rub  those  marks  out. 

.  And  wlmt  was  true  of  Absalom  will  be  true  of  us,  if  we  follow 
his  example.  If  we  write  anything  on  the  sand  by  the  seashore, 
it  w  not  of  much  consequence,  for  the  first  wave  that  rolls  over 
it  will  wash  it  all  away.  If  we  write  with  a  pen  and  ink  even, 
len  we  have  finished  we  can  easily  draw  the  pen  over  it,  if  we 
wash,  and  blot  it  out.  But  if  we  are  going  to  write  with  the 
point  of  a  diamond  on  glass,  then  we  ought  to  be  very  careful 
v  hat  we  write,  because  the  marks  made  on  the  glass  cannot  be 
rubbed  out.  The  Bible  tells  us  of  “  the  book  of  God’s  remem- 

.  rauce*  tllat  k°°k  he  writes  down  all  our  sins.  And  what 
is  written  in  that  book  will  last  longer  than  if  it  were  engraven 
on  stone  or  brass,  or  written  with  the  point  of  a  diamond. 

I  rue,  if  we  repent  of  our  sins,  the  blood  of  Jesus  Christ  will 
blot  out  everything  that  is  written  in  that  book  against  us. 

hen  if  a  bad  name  lasts  so  long,  as  we  see  Absalom’s  has  done, 
let  us  be  very  careful  what  marks  we  put  around  our  name. 

The  third  lesson  we  may  learn  from  this  subject  is,  that  we  can 
never  expect  to  prosper  when  we  do  wrong . 

A  hen  Absalom  began  his  rebellion  against  his  father,  he  felt 
very  sure  of  success.  And  it  seemed  very  likely  that  it  would 
be  so,  for  a  great  many  of  the  people  joined  him  ;  and  we  read 
that  “  the  rebellion  was  strong  for  Absalom.”'  But  you  know 
however  handsome  a  building  looks,  it  is  not  worth  much  if  the 
foundation  on  which  it  rests  is  only  sand.  And  it  is  just  so  with 
any  work  that  we  engage  in.  If  we  begin  it  by  doing  what  is 
wrong,  it  is  like  building  a  house  on  the  sand.  ]STo  house  can 
stand  unless  it  have  a  good  foundation;  and  no  cause  can 
prosper  long  that  is  begun  in  doing  wrong.  And  so  it  turned 
out  with  Absalom.  The  first  battle  that  was  fought  by  his 
as  my  went  against  him.  He  was  defeated.  His  army  was 
scattered,  and  he  died  a  miserable  death. 

And  so  it  will  always  be  with  those  who  do  wrong.  They 
may  seem  to  prosper  at  first,  but  it  will  not  last.  The  Bible 
tells  us  that  “  the  triumphing  of  the  wicked  is  short.”  God’s 


IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


63 


blessing  is  necessary,  if  we  wish  to  succeed  in  any  tiling  ve 
attempt  to  do  ;  but  we  cannot  have  this  blessing  when  we  begin 
by  doing  wrong.  Let  us  remember  this  when  we  think  of 

Absalom. 

The  last  lesson  I  would  speak  of,  as  taught  us  by  this  subject,  is 
that  disobedient  children  are  sure  to  come  to  a  bad  end. 

We  find  a  very  striking  and  solemn  illustration  of  this  lesson 
in  the  history  of  Samuel.  You  can  read  about  it  in  1  Samuel, 
3d  chapter.  *  He  was  a  child  then,  ministering  before  the  Lord 
in  the  tabernacle.  Old  Eli,  the  priest,  was  Samuel’s  friend. 
He  was  a  good  man ;  but  he  had  two  sons,  Hophni  and  Phine- 
has,  who,  although  they  were  priests,  were  disobedient  to  their 
father,  and  acted  very  wickedly  before  God.  And  “when 
little  Samuel  woke,”  in  the  tabernacle  one  night,  “  and  heard 
his  Maker’s  voice,”  it  was  a  dreadful  message  that  God  sent  to 
the  old  priest  about  his  wicked  sons.  And  that  message  was 
fulfilled  not  long  after,  when  both  those  young  men  were  killed 
in  battle,  and  the  ark  of  God  was  taken  captive  by  the  Philis¬ 
tines,  and  old  Eli,  on  hearing  the  sad  tidings,  fell  from  his  seat, 
and  broke  his  neck,  and  died.  1  Samuel  iv.  1-19.  God  has 
promised  His  special  blessing  to  those  who  honor  and  obey  then- 
parents.  But  His  displeasure  will  always  follow  and  His  curse 
will  always  cling  to  those  who  disobey  and  dishonor  them.  No 
matter  whether  they  be  the  sons  of  priests,  as  in  Eli’s  case,  or 
of  kings,  as  in  David’s  case ;  the  high  office  which  their  parents 
hold  and  the  goodness  which  belongs  to  them  does  not  prevent 
God’s  punishment  from  coming  on  their  disobedient  children. 
There  is  one  fearful  passage  of  Scripture  on  this  subject,  that 
should  never  be  forgotten  by  those  children  who  feel  inclined 
to  disobey  their  parents.  It  is  Proverbs  xxx.  17.  “The  eye 
that  mocketh  at  his  father,  and  despiseth  to  obey  his  mother,  the 
ravens  of  the  valley  shall  pick  it  out,  and  the  young  eagles  shall 
eat  it.”  Think  of  these  lessons,  when  you  hear  about  Absalom 
or  see  the  picture  of  his  tomb. 

The  picture  on  the  opposite  page  represents  one  of  the  most 
sacred  and  interesting  places  in  the  world.  It  is  “  the  Garden 


64 


ILL  USTRA  TED  RAMB L ES 


«f  Gethsemane.”  This  was  the  next  place  of  interest  to  which 

' C  Cimie  lu  our  ramble<  after  leaving  Absalom’s  Pillar.  It  is  a 
spot  to  winch  Jesus  loved  to  go  when  he  was  on  earth,  and 
leie  the  most  solemn  and  painful  scene  in  his  life  took  place 
hes  outside  of  Jerusalem,  not  far  from  the  walls  of  the  city 
on  the  west  side.  If  we  walk  down  the  hill  on  which  the  city 
.  ands,  on  that  side,  it  brings  us  to  the  valley  of  Kedron. 
[  ill  picture  is  taken  from  one  published  by  the  Nelsons  of 
London.  It  may  strike  those  who  have  visited  Jerusalem  as 
mg  U‘  But  the  view  it  gives  of  Gethsemane  is 

side  “  Tl“  r  U  "’a11  enclosing  garden  on  the  western 
side.  The  deep  depression  of  the  valley  of  Kedron  lying  be¬ 
ll  een  this  spot  and  the  hill  on  which  Jerusalem  stands,  is  not 
well  represented  in  the  picture.]  We  cross  the  little  stream  on 
a  stone  bridge  of  one  arch,  and  just  on  the  other  side  of  the 
bndge  we  come  to  another  hill.  This  is  a  part  of  the  Mount 
ot  Olives.  There  are  trees  scattered  over  the  side  of  this  hill. 

stone  wall  has  been  built  round  some  of  these  trees,  as  you 
see  in  the  picture.  This  represents  the  garden  of  Gethsemane. 

H  e  do  not  know  whether  this  wall  includes  the  very  spot  to 
winch  Jesus  went  on  the  night  in  which  he  was  betrayed  or  not 
And  it  does  not  matter  much,  either.  We  know  it  must  have 
been  about  this  spot.  For  in  the  beginning  of  the  18th  chapter 
of  John  we  read:  “When  Jesus  had  spoken  these  words,  he 
went  forth  with  his  disciples  over  the  brook  Kedron,  where  was 
a  garden,  into  which  he  entered,  and  his  disciples.  And  Judas 

also  Which  betrayed,  him,  knew  the  place:  for  Jesus  ofttimes 
resorted  tlnther ,  with  his  disciples.” 

Tins  side  of  the  Mount  of  Olives  is  dotted  over  with  olive 
rees.  The  Romanists  have  enclosed  a  portion  of  the  hill-side 
here  with  stone  walls,  keeping  the  gate  locked,  and  putting  it  in 
charge  of  a  monk,  to  make  money  out  of  it  by  levying  a  fee  on 
every  visitor.  Within  the  enclosure  a  flower-garden  is  kept  up 
01  the  puipose  of  selling  the  flowers  to  those  who  visit  the  hal- 
owed  spot.  There  are  eight  large  old  olive  trees  in  different 
parts  of  the  garden.  Beneath  the  shade  of  the  most  venerable 


IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


65 


of  these  we  sat  down  on  a  mound,  and  read  the  affecting  narra¬ 
tions  which  the  Evangelists  give  of  that  awful  passage  in  the 
history  of  our  suffering  Saviour,  on  the  memorable  night  when 
“  he  trod  the  wine-press  alone,  and  of  the  people  there  was  none 
with  him.”  There  was  something  most  solemnizing  and  awe¬ 
inspiring  in  the  thought  that  we  were  standing  on  the  very  spot 
where  Jesus  reached  the  lowest  depths  of  those  “  unknown  suffer¬ 
ings”  through  which  He  passed  in  paying  the  price  of  our  re¬ 
demption — the  very  spot  where  “  he  fell  to  the  earth,  and  being 
in  an  agony,  he  prayed  more  earnestly,  and  his  sweat  was  as  it 
were  great  drops  of  blood  falling  to  the  ground.”  I  felt  that  it 
was  worth  a  pilgrimage  there  just  to  indulge  the  thoughts  and 
meditations  which  such  a  scene  inspired.  If  you  wish  to  know 
what  took  place  there  on  that  night,  read  Mark  xiv.  32-52. 
How  solemn  it  makes  us  feel  just  to  read  about  that  scene  1 

But  suppose  now  that  you  and  I  had  been  in  the  garden  of 
Gethsemane  on  that  night.  And  suppose  that  we  had  seen  and 
heard  all  that  took  place  there,  and  that  we  had  known  as 
much  about  Jesus  and  his  death  then  as  we  know  now.  Well, 
when  it  was  all  over,  and  we  had  got  back  to  our  own  rooms, 
and  were  thinking  over  all  that  we  had  seen,  what  are  some  of 
the  lessons  which  that  visit  to  the  garden  of  Gethsemane  should 
have  taught  us  ? 

The  first  lesson  would  be  this  :  How  dreadful  the  sufferings  of 
Jesus  lucre  ! 

A  great  load  was  on  him  in  Gethsemane.  On  his  way  there 
He  said  to  His  disciples,  “  My  soul  is  exceeding  sorrowful,  even 
unto  death.”  This  load  of  sorrow  pressed  on  Him  so  heavily 
that  He  was  not  able  to  stand.  He  sank  to  the  earth  under  it. 
As  He  lay  there,  on  the  cold  ground,  at  the  hour  of  midnight, 
H  is  sufferings  were  so  great  that  they  made  the  sweat  come  out 
in  “  great  drops  of  blood,”  which  rolled  down  His  face  to  the 
ground.  And  if  you  ask  me  what  caused  this  great  suffering  to 
Jesus,  the  answer  is :  our  sins  caused  it.  The  Bible  tells  us 
tiiat  Jesus  “  made  his  soul  an  offering  for  sin.”  His  body  was 
crucified  on  the  cross,  on  Calvary;  but  His  soul  was  crucified  in 


06 


ILL  USTRA  TED  RAMBLES 


the  garden  of  Gethsemane.  His  suffering  here  was  so  great 
that  it  seems  as  if  He  had  been  in  danger  of  dying  under  it, 
before  He  was  nailed  to  the  cross.  And  we  are  told  that  there 
“  appeared  unto  him  an  angel  from  heaven  strengthening  him,” 
that  He  might  bear  it  all.  We  cannot  understand  or  explain 
what  all  these  sufferings  were.  They  have  been  well  called 
“  the  unknown  sufferings  of  Christ.”  But  when  we  look  at  a 
picture  of  Gethsemane,  or  think  about  what  took  place  there,  we 
may  well  remember  how  dreadful  the  sufferings  of  Jesus  were. 

The  second  lesson  which  that  visit  to  Gethsemane  should  have 
taught  us  would  be :  IIo  w  ivonderful  the  love  of  Jesus  is  ! 

When  trouble  comes  upon  us,  we  cannot  tell  beforehand 
what  it  will  be.  We  must  wait  till  it  comes  before  we  can 
understand  fully  what  it  is.  But  it  was  different  with  Jesus. 
He  knew  all  about  what  His  sufferings  would  be  before  they 
came  upon  Him.  He  knew  just  how  He  would  feel  when  that 
“  bloody  sweat”  came  out  upon  Him  in  Gethsemane,  and  when 
they  were  driving  the  great  nails  through  His  hands  and  feet 
on  the  cross.  Yet  He  wTas  willing  to  bear  it  all ;  though  He 
might  have  avoided  it,  if  He  had  wished  to  do  so. 

When  a  man  does  wrong,  and  he  is  arrested  and  put  in 
prison  or  condemned  to  be  hung,  he  can’t  hel])  himself.  He  is 
obliged  to  bear  what  is  put  upon  him  in  the  best  way  he  can. 
But  it  was  not  so  with  Jesus.  He  was  not  obliged  to  suffer  and 
die.  He  might  have  avoided  it,  if  He  had  chosen  to  do  so. 
But  He  chose  to  suffer.  He  did  it  freely.  It  was  all  of  His 
own  accord.  And  why  was  He  so  willing  to  suffer  ?  It  was 
because  He  loved  us.  He  saw  that  we  never  could  be  happy  or 
get  to  heaven  unless  He  bore  this  suffering ;  and  He  loved  us 
so  much  that  He  was  willing  to  bear  it.  When  we  think  of 
this  we  may  well  say : — 

“  O  Lamb  of  God !  was  ever  pain, 

Was  ever  love  like  thine  ?” 

There  is  nothing  which  shows  the  wonderful  love  of  Jesus  as 
the  sufferings  which  He  bore  in  Gethsemane  do. 


IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


67 


If  we  could  have  made  this  visit  to  Gethsemane,  the  third 
lesson  we  might  have  learned  from  it  would  be :  How  differently 
even  good  people  sometimes  act  from  what  ive  might  expect ! 

Peter  and  James  and  John,  who  were  in  the  garden  of  Geth¬ 
semane  with  Jesus,  were  three  of  the  best  of  His  disciples.  They 
saw  that  their  Master  was  in  great  trouble  and  sorrow.  And  as 
they  knew  this,  it  was  natural  for  Jesus  to  expect  them  to  show 
that  they  felt  sorry  for  Him,  and  to  do  all  they  could  to  try  and 
comfort  Him.  But  instead  of  this,  just  when  He  was  suffering 
most,  they  went  fast  asleep.  And  when  He  came  and  woke 
them,  they  did  the  same  thing  over  again,  at  once.  Plow 
strange  this  was ! 

We  are  apt  to  think  that  if  we  had  been  there,  we  would  have 
acted  differently.  But  there  is  no  doubt  that  we  should  have 
done  just  the  same.  This  should  teach  us  our  own  weakness, 
and  lead  us  not  to  expect  too  much  from  other  people.  We  are 
very  weak  and  imperfect  creatures  ourselves,  and  the  best  of 
those  about  us  are  the  same.  And  if  we  find  them  acting, 
sometimes,  differently  from  what  we  might  have  expected,  as 
the  disciples  did  in  the  garden  of  Gethsemane,  we  should  not  be 
too  much  surprised. 

And  then  there  is  just  one  other  lesson  we  might  have  learned 
from  that  visit  to  Gethsemane ;  and  this  is — the  real  kindness 
of  Jesus. 

Most  people  would  be  very  much  displeased  if  two  or  three 
of  their  best  friends  should  act  towards  them  as  these  disciples 
did  towards  Jesus.  They  would  be  very  apt  to  say  to  those 
friends :  “  It  is  too  bad  for  you  to  act  in  this  Avay  at  such  a  time 
of  trouble.  It  is  really  provoking.  You  ought  to  be  ashamed 
of  yourselves.”  But  Jesus  did  not  act  in  this  way.  He  had  no 
angry  words  to  speak  to  the  disciples.  He  simply  asked  this 
question :  “  What !  could  ye  not  watch  with  me  one  hour  ?” 
And  then  He  said — oh,  how  kindly  and  tenderly! — “ The  spirit 
indeed  is  willing,  but  the  flesh  is  weak.”  What  a  gentle, 
loving,  considerate  Saviour  He  is !  He  could  look  straight  into 
the  hearts  of  the  disciples,  and  see  that  it  was  not  because  they 


68 


ILLUSTRATED  RAMBLES 


did  not  love  Him,  but  only  because  they  were  so  tired  and 
weary  that  they  fell  asleep.  And  so  He  kindly  made  allowance 
for  them  and  excused  them.  Let  us  remember  this  when  we 
are  tempted  to  feel  provoked  at  our  friends  because  they  act 
differently  from  what  we  expected  of  them.  Jesus  tells  us  to 
learn  of  Him.  He  has  set  us  an  example  that  we  should  “  tread 
in  the  blessed  steps  of  his  most  holy  life.”  Let  us  try  to  learn 
this  lesson  which  He  set  us  in  Gethsemane.  And  let  us  re¬ 
member  all  these  four  lessons,  when  we  think  of  what  took 
place  there.  We  may  well  look  up  to  Jesus,  and  offer  the 
prayer  contained  in  one  of  the  verses  of  that  sweet  hymn  which 
►says : — 

“  Thy  fair  example  may  we  trace, 

To  teach  us  what  we  ought  to  be ; 

Make  us,  by  thy  transforming  grace, 

Dear  Savioui*,  daily  more  like  thee!” 

The  Mount  of  Olives. — Few  places  around  Jerusalem  are 
more  interesting  to  the  Christian  visitor  than  this  sacred  mount. 
We  made  our  first  visit  to  it  at  the  close  of  a  Sabbath  afternoon. 
The  day  had  been  bright  and  beautiful,  and  the  sun  was  going 
down  the  western  sky  as  we  marched  to  the  top  of  the  mount. 
How  much  there  is  to  stir  the  heart  in  the  prospect  spread 
before  one  in  standing  on  that  hallowed  spot !  There,  beneath 
our  feet,  lay  “  the  city  of  the  great  king.”  Our  picture  is  not 
large  enough  to  take  in  the  city  and  the  famous  mountain 
which  stands  near  it.  As  you  look  at  the  picture  you  must 
think  of  Jerusalem  as  lying  on  the  left-hand  side  of  it,  and  just 
beneath  us.  The  top  of  Olivet  is  the  very  best  point  from 
which  to  get  a  good  view  of  Jerusalem.  As  you  stand  there, 
you  seem  to  look  right  down  upon  the  city.  It  lies  at  your  feet 
spread  out  before  you.  Its  walls,  its  houses,  its  churches,  its 
towers,  the  great  Mosque  of  Omar,  and  all  that  is  most  interest¬ 
ing  in  that  holy  city,  are  full  in  view. 

Around  that  city,  for  a  thousand  years  before  the  birth  of 
Christ,  all  the  principal  events  woven  into  the  history  of  the 
Bible  had  clustered.  It  was  to  this  city  that  David  brought 


Mount  of  Olivf.s. 


IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


69 


up  the  ark,  amidst  the  gladness  of  the  rejoicing  people,  from 
Kirjath-Jearim,  where  it  had  remained  from  the  time  of  its 
return  from  captivity  among  the  Philistines.  It  was  to  this 
place  that  he  so  often  returned  in  triumph  from  his  victories 
over  the  enemies  of  Israel.  There  it  was  that  “  Solomon  in  all 
his  glory”  swayed  his  peaceful  sceptre  over  the  nation,  in  the 
palmiest  days  of  its  history.  There  it  was  that  Isaiah  delivered 
the  impassioned  strains  of  his  glorious  and  sublime  prophecies. 
There  it  was  that,  in  answer  to  the  earnest  prayers  of  the  good 
King  Hezekiah,  the  mighty  host  of  Assyria  was  cut  off  by  one 
fell  stroke  of  the  destroying  angel’s  sword.  And  there  it  was 
that  Jeremiah  uttered  his  pathetic  lamentations  over  the  deso¬ 
lations  of  Zion. 

One  who  had  stood  there,  as  we  did,  at  the  same  hour  of  even¬ 
tide,  thus  speaks  of  his  impressions  :  “  Beautiful  as  this  view  is 
in  the  morning,  it  is  far  more  striking  when  the  sun,  about  to 
sink  in  the  west,  casts  a  rich  slanting  glow  along  the  level 
grassy  area  and  marble  platform  of  the  temple  enclosure,  and 
touches  with  gold  the  dome  of  the  Mosque  of  Omar,  and  the 
light  arabesque  fountains  with  which  the  area  is  covered ;  while 
the  eastern  walls  and  the  deep  valley  below  are  thrown  into  a 
dark  and  solemn  shadow,  creeping,  as  the  orb  of  day  sinks 
lower,  further  and  further  towards  the  summit  of  Olivet,  irradi¬ 
ated  with  one  parting  gleam  of  roseate  light,  after  all  below  is 
sunk  in  obscurity.” 

As  you  turn  to  the  south,  you  see  the  country  stretching  away 
towards  Hebron,  so  intimately  associated  with  the  memory  of 
the  patriarchs  Abraham,  Isaac  and  Jacob,  and  where  David 
reigned  for  seven  years  over  Judah  alone.  The  city  itself  is  not 
in  sight,  but  the  hills  around  it  can  be  distinctly  seen. 

The  view  towards  the  east  is  still  more  striking.  Glimpses 
of  the  clear  water  of  the  Dead  Sea  are  distinctly  visible.  The 
winding  course  of  the  Jordan  may  be  traced  by  the  line  of  ver¬ 
dure  that  marks  its  bed.  It  is  some  ten  or  twelve  miles  distant 
from  the  summit  of  the  mount.  These  intervening  miles  of 
dreary,  barren  hills  form  the  wilderness  into  which  Jesus  “  was 


70 


ILLUSTRATED  RAMBLES 


led  by  the  Spirit,”  and  through  which  He  wandered  during  the 
forty  days  when  He  was  tempted  by  the  devil.  Far  away  be¬ 
yond  Jordan  you  see  the  dark  line  of  the  “  mountains  of  Moab.” 
It  was  from  among  those  mountains  that  the  hosts  of  Israel 
emerged  to  make  their  marvellous  passage  of  the  Jordan  ;  and 
it  was  in  that  range  that  Pisgah  lay — though  not  visible  at  this 
distance— the  mountain  which  Moses  climbed,  and  where  he 
“  stood  and  viewed  the  landscape  o’er.” 

As  you  stand  upon  the  top  of  Olivet,  it  is  interesting  to  re¬ 
member  that  it  was  around  the  side  of  this  mount  that  David, 
with  his  little  band  of  faithful  followers,  went  forth  weeping, 
when  he  fled  from  Jerusalem  on  hearing  of  the  rebellion  of  his 
unnatural  son  Absalom.  It  was  at  the  top  of  this  mount  that 
he  met  his  friend  Hushai,  and  sent  him  back  to  counteract  the 
counsels  of  Ahithophel ;  and  here  he  had  his  last  view  of  the 
rebellious  city.  2  Samuel  xv.  32-37.  It  was  a  little  way  past 
the  top  that  he  encountered  Ziba  and  the  asses  laden  with  pro¬ 
visions.  And  it  was  as  he  descended  the  rough  road  on  the 
other  side  that  “  Shimei  went  along  on  the  side  of  the  mount 
over  against  him,  and  threw  stones  at  him,  and  cast  dust.” 

But,  after  all,  it  is  its  intimate  connection  with  so  many  scenes 
in  the  history  of  our  Saviour’s  life  that  gives  to  the  Mount  of 
Olives  its  principal  charm,  and  makes  it  seem  so  sweetly  sacred. 
It  was  from  the  brow  of  this  mount  that  Jesus  “  beheld  the  city 
and  wept  over  it,”  as  His  prophetic  eye  looked  down  through 
the  vista  of  coming  years,  and  saw  the  desolations  that  were 
coming  upon  it.  (Luke  xix.  41.)  It  was  here  He  sat  with  His 
three  chosen  disciples,  “  over  against  the  temple,”  when  He 
poured  into  their  astonished  ears  the  wondrous  words  of  the 
prophecy  which  told  them  of  the  overthrow  of  Jerusalem,  and 
of  the  sufferings,  the  persecutions,  and  final  triumph  of  His 
followers.  (Matt,  xxiv.)  It  was  here  He  delivered  the  beauti¬ 
ful  parables  of  the  “  ten  virgins,”  and  the  “  five  talents,”  as  we 
read  in  the  25th  chapter  of  Matthew.  It  was  on  the  side  of  this 
mount  that  the  garden  lay  to  which  “  he  ofttimes  resorted  with 
his  disciples”  (John  xviii.  2),  and  in  which  the  amazing  scene 


IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


71 


of  His  “  agony  and  bloody  sweat”  was  enacted.  Here,  during 
the  closing  days  of  His  life,  He  was  wont  to  retire,  evening  by 
evening,  to  seek  rest  in  meditation  and  prayer,  when  weary  and 
harassed  by  the  labors  and  trials  of  the  day.  When  the  cup  of 
God’s  wrath  had  been  drunk,  and  death  and  the  grave  were 
conquered,  it  was  to  the  top  of  Olivet  that  He  once  more  led 
His  disciples  forth,  and  while  in  the  act  of  blessing  them,  He 
rose  majestically  from  the  midst  of  them,  “  a  cloud  received  him 
out  of  their  sight,”  and  He  ascended  to  take  His  seat  at  the 
right  hand  of  the  throne  of  God. 

And  then,  there  is  one  event  in  the  future  that  connects  Olivet 
with  Jesus  in  a  most  interesting  way.  When  the  prophet  Zach- 
ariah  is  describing  the  coming  again  of  Jesus  to  our  world,  he 
tells  us  distinctly  that  “  his  feet  shall  stand  in  that  day  upon  the 
Mount  of  Olives.”  (Zacli.  xiv.  4.)  Thus  this  spot  is  connected 
at  once  with  His  departure  and  His  return.  When  He  Avent 
away  from  earth,  this  Avas  the  last  place  on  which  His  feet  stood ; 
and  when  He  comes  back  to  our  globe,  it  is  just  here  that  He 
Avill  first  alight.  These  are  some  of  the  thoughts  which  give  a 
peculiar  sacreclness  to  this  lialloAved  spot  in  our  visits  to  it,  or 
our  recollections  of  it. 

“Oft  as  the  daylight  hours  were  gone, 

When  friends  forsook  and  foes  beset, 

The  Saviour  of  the  world,  alone, 

Retired  to  pray  on  Olivet. 

“And  still  by  faith  we  climb  its  steep, 

A  respite  from  earth’s  cares  to  find, 

To  hush  distracting  thoughts  to  sleep, 

Amid  this  Sabbath  of  the  mind. 

“Oh  !  may  we  cherish,  more  and  more, 

The  shelter  of  this  calm  retreat, 

And  realize  the  bliss  in  store 
For  those  who  love  the  Mercy  Seat. 

“  When  ends  at  last  life’s  little  day, 

Its  waning  sun  about  to  set, 

Our  souls  would  soar  to  heaven  away, 

On  wings  of  prayer  from  Olivet!” 


72 


ILLUSTRATED  RAMBLES 


CHAPTER  VII. 

FROM  JERUSALEM  TO  THE  DEAD  SEA — BETHANY — THE  ROAD  TO 
JERICHO — THE  BROOK  CHERITH — JERICHO — ELISHA’S  FOUN¬ 
TAIN — THE  PLAINS  OF  JERICHO — THE  JORDAN — THE  DEAD 
SEA. 

The  journey  from  Jerusalem  to  Jericho  is  an  interesting  one. 
We  started  from  our  encampment  by  the  Jaffa  gate,  in  the 
morning,  immediately  after  breakfast.  W e  were  provided,  with 
a  guard  of  two  rascally-looking  Arabs,  armed  with  long  muskets 
furnished  with  old-fashioned  flint  locks.  It  took  us  seven  or 
eight  hours  to  make  this  trip,  including  stoppages.  Wending 
our  way  across  the  Mount  of  Olives,  the  first  place  of  interest  to 
which  we  came  was 

Bethany. — Here  is  a  view  of  one  of  the  interesting  places 
connected  with  the  history  of  Jesus  and  Jerusalem.  Bethany 
is  a  little  village  on  the  side  of  the  Mount  of  Olives,  not  quite 
two  miles  from  Jerusalem.  It  lies  directly  on  the  road  that 
leads  down  from  Jerusalem  to  Jericho.  It  is  a  poor  village, 
containing  about  twenty  or  thirty  houses.  These  are  built  of 
stone.  The  materials  which  compose  them  seem  to  have  been 
the  ruins  of  former  buildings.  This  little  village  has  nothing 
very  attractive  about  it  in  itself.  All  the  interest  which  travel¬ 
lers  find  in  visiting  it  is  connected  with  its  past  history.  It  was 
the  home  of  Jesus.  When  He  went  up  to  Jerusalem  He  always 
stopped  here,  in  the  house  of  His  “  friend  Lazarus,”  and  of  his 
loving  sisters  Mary  and  Martha.  When  He  had  been  teaching 
in  the  temple  all  day,  and  laboring  among  the  people,  He 
used  to  walk  over  the  Mount  of  Olives  in  the  evening,  and 
go  to  the  house  of  Lazarus  to  rest  himself  and  spend  the  night 
there. 

We  have  an  account  of  one  of  these  visits  in  Luke  x.  38-42. 
As  He  sat  in  the  house,  a  number  of  people  came  in  to  hear  Him 
speak.  Martha,  the  elder  sister,  seemed  to  be  the  housekeeper. 
She  was  anxious  to  get  up  a  nice  dinner  for  Him.  She  wanted 


Bethany. 


IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


73 


her  younger  sister,  Mary,  to  come  and  help  her.  But  Mary 
was  sitting  at  the  feet  of  Jesus,  listening  to  His  words.  This 
was  just  what  Jesus  wanted  her  to  do.  But  Martha  did  not 
like  it.  She  was  thinking  only  about  getting  the  dinner  ready. 
She  came  into  the  room  where  Jesus  was  speaking,  and  com¬ 
plained  to  Him  of  Mary,  saying,  “  Lord,  dost  thou  not  care  that 
my  sister  has  left  me  to  serve  alone  ?  bid  her  therefore  that  she 
help  me.”  But  Jesus  took  Mary’s  part,  and  said :  “  Martha, 
Martha,  thou  art  careful  and  troubled  about  many  things :  But 
one  thing  is  needful ;  and  Mary  has  chosen  that  good  part  which 
shall  not  be  taken  away  from  her.” 

Instead  of  finding  fault  with  Mary,  as  Martha  thought  He 
would  do,  He  gently  reproved  her  for  being  so  careful  about 
household  matters,  and  taught  her  that  it  was  much  better  to 
listen  to  the  words  that  He  was  speaking  than  to  be  thinking 
so  much  about  getting  nice  things  to  eat. 

It  was  in  this  same  village  of  Bethany  that  all  the  inter¬ 
esting  events  we  read  about  in  the  11th  chapter  of  John’s 
gospel  took  place.  Lazarus,  the  friend  of  Jesus,  took  sick  and 
died,  while  He  was  far  away  in  Galilee.  Jesus  knew  that  he 
was  sick,  and  He  might  have  gone  and  healed  him.  But  He 
stayed  away  on  purpose  till  Lazarus  died,  because  He  intended 
to  show  His  power  by  raising  him  from  the  dead.  When  He 
came  back  to  Bethany,  He  found  the  two  sisters  in  great  distress. 
Martha  said  to  Him,  “  Lord,  if  thou  liadst  been  here,  my  brother 
had  not  died.”  And  she  seemed  to  think  that  even  then  Jesus 
could  bring  him  back  to  life.  When  Jesus  told  her  that  her 
brother  would  rise  again,  she  thought  that  He  meant  at  the 
time  of  the  resurrection.  Then  Jesus  said  to  her,  “  I  am  the 
resurrection.”  He  wanted  to  let  her  know  that  He  had  power 
to  raise  the  dead  whenever  He  chose  to  do  so.  Then  Jesus 
went  with  the  sorrowing  sisters  to  the  grave  of  their  dear  dead 
brother.  And  when  He  saAV  them  weeping,  and  their  friends 
all  weeping  around  them,  His  tender,  loving  heart  was  filled 
with  sorrow  for  them.  As  He  stood  by  the  grave  of  His  friend, 
in  the  midst  of  that  sorrowing  company,  we  read  these  two 


74 


ILLUSTRATED  RAMBLES 


touching  words :  “Jesus  wept.”  Then  He  ordered  them  to  take 
away  the  stone  from  the  mouth  of  the  grave,  and  the  voice  of 
Jesus  was  heard  ringing  through  the  silent  tomb,  as  he  said : 
“  Lazarus,  come  forth  !”  That  wonderful  voice  brought  the  dead 
man  back  to  life.  In  a  moment  the  body  that  was  as  cold  as 
ice  grew  warm  again.  The  heart  that  had  been  still  for  four 
days  began  to  beat  once  more,  and  Lazarus  came  forth  from 
the  grave  alive  and  well.  What  a  happy  family  that  was  in 
Bethany  that  night !  And  how  full  of  love  and  gratitude  to 
Jesus  the  hearts  of  those  glad  sisters  must  have  been!  Their 
tears  of  sorrow  were  turned  into  tears  of  joy.  And  when  they 
sat  down  to  their  evening  meal  at  the  close  of  that  day,  with 
their  beloved  brother  Lazarus  sitting  in  his  own  place  once 
more,  and  Jesus  sitting  by  him,  what  a  sweet  season  they  must 
have  had  together ! 

We  went  of  course  to  the  reputed  house  and  tomb  of  Lazarus. 
The  latter  is  a  deep  vault,  partly  excavated  in  the  rock  and 
partly  lined  with  masonry.  The  entrance  is  low,  and  opens 
on  a  long,  winding,  half-ruinous  staircase  leading  down  to  a 
small  chamber,  and  from  this  a  few  steps  more  lead  down 
to  another  smaller  vault,  in  which  the  body  is  supposed  to  have 
lain. 

But  whether  this  be  the  exact  spot  where  Lazarus  was  buried 
or  not,  it  is  impossible  to  visit  Bethany  without  feeling  that  it 
was  here  that  the  touching  incident  occurred  which  is  given 
with  such  sweet  simplicity,  by  which  the  real  humanity  of  Jesus 
was  demonstrated,  and  the  deep  and  tender  sympathy  of  His 
loving  heart  with  the  sorrows  of  His  people  was  drawn  out,  as 
on  no  other  occasion.  It  was  here,  as  He  stood  beside  the  grave 
of  His  “  friend  Lazarus”  with  the  weeping  sisters  before  Him, 
that  “  Jesus  wept when  He  proved  himself  the  resurrection 
and  the  life,  as  at  the  mouth  of  that  silent  tomb  He  proclaimed 
those  majestic  words :  “  Lazarus,  come  forth  !”  The  grim  tyrant 
of  the  charnel-house  heard  that  summons,  and  was  compelled  to 
obey  it,  for  “  he  that  was  dead  came  forth.”  What  a  glorious 
pledge  and  prophecy  this  was  of  a  coming  time,  “  when  all  that 


IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


75 


are  in  tlieir  graves  shall  hear  the  voice  of  the  Son  of  Man  and 
shall  come  forth !” 

And  then  I  thought,  while  lingering  in  this  village,  how  sig¬ 
nally  favored  that  family  of  Bethany  must  have  been  to  whose 
bosom  Jesus  was  wont  to  retire  for  rest  when  His  daily  course 
of  exhausting  toil  in  Jerusalem  was  over ;  at  whose  hospitable 
board  He  often  sat,  a  welcome  guest,  and  under  whose  friendly 
roof  He  was  accustomed  to  lie  down  and  seek  refreshment  for 
His  weary  frame.  Their  privilege  it  was  to  “  entertain,”  not 
“  an  angel  unawares,”  but  the  Lord  of  angels,  with  the  know¬ 
ledge  that  He  was  such. 

How  blessed  the  seasons  must  have  been,  indeed,  when  they 
sat  around  their  board  and  listened  to  “  the  gracious  words” 
that  fell  from  His  blessed  lips !  Doubtless  they  must  often 
have  realized  the  truth  of  Montgomery’s  lines  about  “  the  poor 
wayfaring  man  of  grief,”  when  he  says : — 

“  We  gave  him  all ;  he  blessed  it,  brake, 

And  ate, — but  gave  us  part  again  ; 

Ours  was  an  angel’s  portion  then, 

For  while  we  fed  with  eager  haste, 

That  bread  was  manna  to  our  taste.” 

But  though  we  may  not  look  for  the  bodily  presence  of  Jesus 
in  our  homes,  it  is  yet  our  privilege  to  hope  for  His  spiritual 
presence  in  our  hearts.  Jesus  says  to  us :  “  Behold  1  stand  at 
the  door  and  knock ;  if  any  man  hear  my  voice  and  open  the 
door,  I  will  come  in  to  him  and  will  sup  with  him.”  Rev.  iii. 
20.  And  thus  all  that  really  made  the  presence  of  Jesus  pre¬ 
cious  to  the  family  at  Bethany,  we  may  have  realized  in  our 
own  personal  experience.  The  presence  of  Jesus  will  make  a 
Bethany  of  every  place. 

“  ‘  Jesus  wept !’ — those  tears  are  over, 

But  his  heart  is  still  the  same. 

Kinsman,  Friend,  and  Elder  Brother 
Is  his  everlasting  name. 

Saviour,  who  can  love  like  Thee, 

Gracious  One  of  Bethany  ? 


76 


illustrated  rambles 

“  When  the  pangs  of  trial  seize  us, 

When  the  waves  of  sorrow  roll. 

Let  us  lay  our  heads  on  Jesus, 

Pillow  of  the  troubled  soul.’ 

Surely  none  can  feel  like  Thee, 
Weeping  One  of  Bethany ! 

Jesus  wept !’— and  still  in  glory 
He  can  mark  each  mourner’s  tear, 
Loving  to  retrace  the  story 
Of  the  hearts  He  solaced  here. 

Lord !  when  I  am  called  to  die, 
Let  me  think  of  Bethany ! 


Jesus  wept  .'’—that  tear  of  sorrow 
Is  a  legacy  of  love , 


Yesterday,  to-day,  to-morrow, 

He  the  same  doth  ever  prove. 

Thou  art  all  in  all  to  me, 
Living  One  of  Bethany !” 


Leaving  Bethany,  we  plunged  at  once  into  the  gloomy  wilder- 
ne»  of  Judea.  As  one  has  well  said,  “  The  road  soon  becomes 
reaiy  enoug  i,  running  among  white  desolate  hills  and  wild 
rugged  valleys,  without  a  tree  or  shrub,  or  even  a  green  g^ 

.  It  would  be  almost  insupportable  were  it  not  for  the  asso 
matrons  and  a  certain  spice  of  danger-just  enough  to  keep  up 

the  ‘  eTdn  1  “d  the  gIeam  of  a  ™‘°hlock  catchel 
the  eye  behind  some  projecting  rock,  or  a  tufted  spear  is  seen 

winding  suspiciously  round  the  shoulder  of  a  hill.” 

he  load  is  a  mere  bridle-path,  now  running  through  the  dry 

bed  „  mountain  torrents,  then  winding  round  the  sfdes 7f  B  e 

mountain  and  skirting  along  the  edge  of  dizzy  precipiet  It  il 

krsyareasure  toT,lbv  ”"*7*  An,h*“d  “protected  travel- 

man"wh„  lit  T®  7 SV<’  “  hiWeued  t0  “«  <«taiu 

an  who  went  down  from  Jerusalem  to  Jericho”  in  the  days 

this  kind  ourselves. 

consisting  „f  two  gentlemen  and  a  lady,  gig  overtime 
ground,  were  attacked  by  Arab  thieves,  Ihltripped  tCt 


IN  BIBLE  LANDS, 


77 


of  all  they  had,  hut  varied  the  ancient  performance  by  not 
“wounding  them  and  leaving  them  half  dead.”  This  party 
had  a  guard,  as  we  had ;  hut  those  brave  defenders,  the  moment 
the  attack  was  made,  ran  away  and  kept  out  of  sight  till  the 
robbers  had  taken  all  they  could  get  and  had  disappeared. 
Some  time  after,  when  the  plundered  party  had  resumed  their 
journey,  they  met  their  valiant  guard  returning  to  give  them 
the  benefit  of  their  protection  again.  On  being  reproached  for 
their  base  desertion,  they  said  they  “  had  only  gone  to  Jericho 
to  try  and  get  more  help  !  ” 

These  Arabs  are  a  cowardly  set  of  fellows.  They  stand  in 
mortal  terror  of  a  revolver.  As  illustrative  of  this,  I  heard  a 
good  story  of  a  brave-hearted  American  missionary,  who  was  on 
a  visit  to  Jerusalem.  He  made  up  his  mind  to  go  down  to 
Jericho  alone.  In  one  of  the  wildest  parts  of  the  road  lie  was 
suddenly  set  upon  by  a  company  of  six  Arabs,  who  stood  round 
with  their  muskets  pointing  at  him.  Their  leader  motioned  to 
him  to  deliver  up  his  watch  and  money.  He  put  his  hand  in 
his  coat  pocket,  as  they  supposed  to  take  out  his  pocket-book. 
Instead  of  this,  however,  he  drew  forth  a  revolver  with  six 
charges.  He  held  it  before  the  leader,  and  pointing  with  his 
finger  to  let  him  know  that  there  was  one  ball  for  him  and  one 
for  each  of  the  others  in  his  band,  he  then  looked  him  steadily 
in  the  eye  for  a  few  seconds,  when  they  all  quailed  before  him, 
and,  skulking  away,  left  him  to  pursue  his  journey  without  fur¬ 
ther  molestation. 

We  stopped  at  noon  to  rest  and  lunch  at  the  ruins  of  an  old 
Khan,  once  perchance  an  inn  like  that  to  which  “the  good 
Samaritan”  took  his  wounded  “  neighbor,”  where  he  left  him  in 
charge  of  “  the  host.” 

One  of  the  most  interesting  points  connected  with  this  journey 
is  the  view  it  affords  of  “  the  brook  Cherith,”  where  the  prophet 
Elijah  was  fed  by  ravens  while  the  famine  raged  throughout  the 
coasts  of  Israel,  as  we  read  in  1  Kings  xvii.  1-7.  I  had  always 
pictured  to  myself  a  solitary  shady  glen  as  the  scene  of  that 
remarkable  incident  in  the  prophet’s  experience.  There  my 


78 


ILLUSTRATED  RAMBLES 


fancy  had  been  wont  to  locate  the  man  of  God  in  his  loneliness, 
seated  beneath  a  sheltering  tree  on  the  pleasant  bank  of  some 
murmuring  brook.  But  how  different  from  all  this  was  the 
actual  reality,  as  verified  by  the  scene  here  presented !  In  the 
very  wildest  part  of  this  wild  region  is  a  deep  mountain  gorge. 
On  the  opposite  side  of  the  gorge  from  where  we  stood  the 
mountain  rose  up,  almost  perpendicularly,  for  hundreds  of  feet. 
We  approached  the  edge  of  the  ravine  and  looked  down.  What 
a  scene  is  there  presented  to  the  eye!  Rugged,  grand,  gloomy, 
awful,  it  seemed  like  a  fit  hiding-place  for  such  a  prophet  as 
Elijah,  and  must  have  been  in  striking  harmony  with  the 
majestic  sternness  of  his  character.  It  was  enough  to  make 
one’s  head  dizzy  to  gaze  down  that  appalling  mountain  chasm. 
The  sides  are  almost  sheer  precipices  of  naked  rock,  occasionally 
pierced  by  grottoes  apparently  inaccessible  to  anything  except 
the  eagles  that  hover  around  them.  And  far  down  at  the 
bottom  of  this  ravine  is  a  little  thread  of  green  skirting  along 
where  the  brook  flows  by.  And  there  it  was  that  Elijah  was 
hidden,  while  Ahab  in  his  rage  was  seeking  him  through  all  the 
coasts  of  Israel  and  among  all  the  neighboring  nations. 

After  gazing  on  that  gloomy  scene,  I  went  on  my  way,  fur¬ 
nished  with  a  profitable  theme  for  meditation.  One  thought 
suggested  by  it  was  this  : — 

How  easily  God  can  hide  His  people ,  and  how  safe  they  are 
when  He  hides  them!  Here  was  Elijah  dwelling  for  months 
but  a  short  distance  from  the  very  capital  of  the  kingdom,  and 
yet  so  completely  covered  by  God’s  sheltering  wing  that  all  the 
zeal  and  resources  of  his  royal  enemy  failed  entirely  to  find 
him.  How  true  it  is  that  “  The  beloved  of  the  Lord  shall  dwell 
in  safety  by  him  !” 

And  in  connection  with  this  came  another  thought : — 

How  easily  God  can  provide  for  the  wants  of  His  people  when 
He  thus  hides  them  !  If  we  had  looked  down  into  that  wild 
gorge,  and  had  been  told  that  God  was  going  to  hide  Elijah 
there  for  months,  we  might  have  said,  “Very  good,  indeed,  as  a 
hiding  place.  The  prophet  will  be  safe  enough  there.  No  one 


IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


79 


would  ever  think  of  looking  for  a  human  being  in  such  a  place 
of  unrelieved  desolation.  But  how  can  he  live  there  ?”  To  us 
this  would  have  been  an  insuperable  difficulty.  But  to  our 
covenant  God  nothing  is  difficult.  Almighty  in  power  and 
infinite  in  resources,  lie  never  can  be  at  a  loss  to  carry  out  His 
purposes.  Look  at  the  ravens  at  Cheritli  bringing  food  to 
Elijah  morning  try  morning  and  evening  by  evening,  and  what 
a  striking  illustration  we  have  of  that  sweet  promise,  “My 
God  shall  supply  all  your  need  according  to  His  riches  in  glory 
by  Christ  Jesus.” 

Jericho  and  The  Foetntain  of  Elisha. — When  God  sent 
the  prophet  Elijah  to  the  gloomy  hiding-place  which  we  have 
just  described,  He  spoke  of  it  as  “the  brook  Cherith,  which  is 
before  Jordan.”  1  Kings  xvii.  3.  The  significance  of  this  last 
clause  is  not  likely  to  occur  to  one  who  has  never  visited  the 
spot.  That  brook  in  the  wild  and  desolate  mountain  gorge  with 
which  it  is  connected  is  the  last  point  of  interest  in  that  dreary 
region,  just  “before”  descending  from  the  hill  country  to  come 
down  on  the  broad  plain  that  surrounds  the  site  of  the  ancient 
Jericho,  and  through  the  midst  of  which  the  Jordan  rolls  its 
turbid  waters. 

On  coming  out  on  this  plain,  its  fertility  presented  a  very 
pleasing  and  striking  contrast  to  the  stern  desolation  of  the  wild 
mountain  region  through  which  we  had  been  journeying  since 
we  left  Jerusalem  in  the  morning.  By  the  latter  part  of  the 
afternoon  we  reached  our  tents,  which  had  been  pitched  on  the 
site  of  the  ancient  Jericho.  Around  us  were  extensive  mounds, 
which  are  said  to  cover  the  ruins  of  that  famous  city. 

After  resting  awhile  from  our  long  hot  ride  of  seven  or  eight 
hours,  we  went  to  visit  the  famous  fountain  now  called  Ain  es 
Sultan  (The  Fountain  of  the  Sultan),  but  formerly  known  as 
“  The  Fountain  of  Elisha.”  It  was  but  a  stone’s  throw  from 
our  tent.  It  is  a  spot  full  of  interest  to  lovers  of  the  Bible,  on 
account  of  its  connection  with  the  history  of  the  great  and  good 
prophet  on  whom  the  mantle  of  the  ascended  Elijah  fell.  We 
read  in  2  Kings  ii.  19-22,  that  Elisha  returned  to  Jericho  after 


80 


ILL  USTRA  TED  RA 1IBLES 


his  master  had  been  taken  from  him.  “  And  the  men  of  the 
city  said  unto  him,  Behold,  the  situation  of  this  city  is  pleasant, 
as  my  lord  seeth ;  hut  the  water  is  naught  and  the  land  barren. 
And  he  said,  Bring  me  a  new  cruse,  and  put  salt  therein.  And 
they  brought  it  to  him.  And  he  went  forth  unto  the  spring  of 
the  waters,  and  cast  the  salt  in  there,  and  said,  Thus  saith  the 
Lord,  I  have  healed  these  waters  ;  there  shall  not  he  from  thence 
any  more  death  or  barren  land.  So  the  waters  were  healed 
unto  this  day,  according  to  the  saying  of  Elisha.” 

This  was  the  spring  near  which  we  were  encamped,  and  which 
we  had  come  to  visit.  The  fountain  gushes  forth  in  great  volume 
from  the  base  of  a  mass  of  perpendicular  rock.  The  water  is 
clear  as  crystal  and  deliciously  sweet.  We  drank  freely  of  it, 
and  were  ready  to  bear  our  testimony  to  the  truth  of  the  sacred 
writer’s  affirmation  that  “  the  waters  were  healed  unto  this  day.” 
This  first  beneficent  miracle  of  the  prophet,  so  beautifully  illus¬ 
trative  of  the  character  of  the  ministry  he  was  to  exercise  for 
Israel,  was  an  effectual  miracle,  and  the  blessing  it  left  behind 
him  has  been  enduring.  A  stream  of  water  twelve  or  fifteen 
inches  deep  and  six  or  eight  feet  wide  issues  from  that  fountain, 
and  goes  dashing  along  over  a  beautiful  pebbly  bed.  We  had 
now  travelled  across  the  breadth  of  the  land  from  Jaffa  to  Jeru¬ 
salem  and  from  Jerusalem  to  Jericho,  and  this  was  the  first  time 
that  the  sound  of  running  water  had  greeted  our  ears.  There 
was  music  in  the  sound,  and  we  listened  to  it  with  great  delight. 
The  banks  of  the  little  stream  are  curtained  with  bushes.  The 
luxury  of  a  bath  after  our  hot,  dusty  ride  was  too  great  to  be 
resisted,  and  so  while  waiting  for  dinner  we  undressed  and  lay 
down  on  the  smooth  stones  of  the  brook,  and  its  clear  babbling 
waters  rolled  over  our  weary  limbs  most  refreshingly.  And  as 
we  did  so,  we  blessed  the  good  prophet  for  the  waters  he  had 
healed. 

After  dinner  we  were  sitting  in  the  door  of  our  tent  like  the 
patriarch  of  old,  “  in  the  cool  of  the  day,”  when  a  company  of 
Arabs  twelve  or  fifteen  in  number  arranged  themselves  in  front 
of  us,  and  went  through  a  sort  of  dance  peculiar  to  those  wan- 


IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


81 


dering  tribes.  Their  leader  had  an  old  sword  in  his  hand,  to 
the  motions  of  which  they  kept  time.  They  went  through  a 
variety  of  queer  evolutions,  accompanied  by  a  joint  recitation 
of  strange  guttural  sounds.  It  is  one  of  the  customs  of  the  place 
kept  up  for  the  purpose  of  extorting  “  backsheesh”  from  visitors. 
But  as  they  would  be  very  likely  to  levy  toll  in  some  less  agree¬ 
able  way  if  this  were  denied  them,  we  thought  it  best  to  give 
them  what  our  dragoman  told  us  was  the  customary  fee  for  their 
performance. 

In  a  tent  not  far  from  ours  was  an  elderly  English  clergyman, 
a  very  eccentric  character,  whom  we  had  met  on  the  way  down 
from  Jerusalem.  After  finishing  their  entertainment  for  us,  our 
Arab  visitors  went  over  to  our  friend’s  tent,  to  go  through  a 
similar  performance  there.  We  were  greatly  amused  at  the  way 
in  which  the  old  gentleman  received  them.  Just  as  they  were 
beginning  to  go  through  their  evolutions,  he  came  to  the  door 
of  his  tent,  and,  as  though  they  understood  English  as  well  as 
Arabic,  he  made  them  a  little  speech  in  his  own  mother  tongue 
to  this  effect :  “  My  friends,  I  wish  you  to  understand  before  you 
proceed  any  further  that  I  have  no  money  to  spare  for  the 
encouragement  of  any  such  performance  as  this*.  I  am  sorry  to 
see  so  many  strong,  able-bodied  men  spending  their  time  and 
energies  in  such  a  useless  way.  I  would  like  to  tell  you  the 
story  of  the  good  Samaritan,  if  I  thought  you  would  understand 
me.  I  wish  you  good  health,  but  I  have  no  money  to  give  you. 
Farewell.”  Then  he  went  into  the  tent  and  closed  the  door,  to 
the  great  chagrin  of  the  disappointed  Arabs. 

The  next  morning  wTe  wandered  over  the  great  mounds  around 
our  encampment,  formed,  doubtless,  by  the  ruins  of  Jericho. 
How  full  of  interesting  and  stirring  associations  was  the  whole 
scene  around  us !  In  full  view  to  the  west  of  us  rose  up  the 
lofty  mountain  of  Quarantania,  the  traditional  scene  of  our 
Saviour’s  temptation  ;  itself  supposed  to  be  the  “  exceeding  high 
mountain”  from  whose  summit  the  tempter  “  showed  him  all  the 
kingdoms  of  the  world  and  the  glory  of  them.”  A  huge  mass 
of  white,  naked  rock,  it  rises  abruptly  from  the  verdant  plain. 

6 


82 


ILLUSTRATED  RAMBLES 


Its  summit  is  crowned  by  a  little  chapel,  and  its  rugged  sides  are 
dotted  with  the  dark  openings  of  caves  and  grottoes,  formerly 
the  abode  of  hermits,  drawn  thither  by  the  supposed  sanctity 
of  that  desolate  region. 

All  around  us  was  the  great  plain  on  which  the  weary  Israel¬ 
ites  looked  down  from  the  mountains  of  Moab,  after  their  long 
journey  through  the  wilderness.  On  this  plain  they  encamped 
as  they  emerged  from  the  bed  of  the  Jordan,  miraculously  dried 
up  that  they  might  pass  over.  Where  our  tents  wrere  pitched 
stood  Jericho,  “  straitly  shut  up,”  for  fear  of  the  invaders. 
Around  this  city  the  Israelites  marched  mysteriously  for  seven 
days,  and  on  the  seventh  day  after  the  seventh  circuit  “  the 
priests  blew  with  their  trumpets  and  the  people  shouted  with  a 
great  shout,”  and  “  the  wall  fell  down  flat  and  the  people  went 
up  and  took  the  city.” 

It  was  from  Jericho,  too,  that  Elijah  and  Elisha  went  forth 
over  the  plain  on  their  wTay  to  the  scene  of  the  translation.  And 
it  was  yonder,  on  the  plain  beyond  the  river,  that  the  chariot 
of  the  skies  came  down,  “and  Elijah  went  up  by  a  whirlwind 
into  heaven.”  What  themes  for  meditation  these  incidents 
suggest  to  the  traveller  among  the  ruins  of  Jericho ! 

On  the  opposite  page  we  have  a  picture  of  Jericho.  As  you 
look  at  it  you  will  perhaps  say,  “  This  is  not  a  very  interesting 
picture  to  look  at.”  And  this  is  true.  Some  places  are  inte¬ 
resting  because  they  look  so  beautiful.  Others  are  interesting 
not  so  much  for  the  beauty  that  we  see  in  them  as  for  the 
important  events  that  have  taken  place  in  connection  with  them. 
It  is  not  so  much  for  their  appearance  as  for  their  history  that 
we  want  to  visit  them  and  look  at  them.  And  this  is  the  case 
with  Jericho,  that  we  see  in  our  picture.  There  is  no  beauty  in 
it.  It  looks  very  dreary  and  desolate,  and  yet  it  is  a  very  inte¬ 
resting  place  to  visit.  But  all  this  interest  grows  out  of  the 
things  which  have  taken  place  there,  and  of  which  we  read  in 
the  Bible.  There  is  a  poor  little  village  with  some  mud  huts, 
which  you  can  see  in  the  picture,  near  where  Jericho  is  supposed 
to  have  stood. 


Jericho. 


, 


I 


* 


The  River  Jordan 


IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


8J 

Many  thoughts  were  suggested  by  our  visit  to  Jericho.  I 
will  only  refer  now  to  one  of  them.  While  drinking  at  Elisha’s 
fountain  I  thought :  how  long  the  benefit  of  one  good  deed  may 
last !  Elisha  was  doing  a  good  deed  when  he  healed  the  water 
of  that  spring  near  Jericho.  It  is  nearly  three  thousand  years 
since  this  was  done,  and  yet  through  all  those  years  the 
influence  of  that  good  deed  has  reached,  and  every  traveller 
who  visits  Jericho  feels  it  still,  as  we  did.  And  so  when 
we  try  to  do  good  by  teaching  some  one  to  love  Jesus,  it  is  like 
opening  a  spring  in  the  desert  or  healing  a  spring  whose  waters 
were  bitter.  And  long  after  we  are  dead  and  gone,  the  spring 
that  we  opened  or  healed  may  go  on  flowing  and  doing  good. 
Then  let  us  work  for  Jesus.  Every  good  book  given  away  or 
every  new  Sunday-school  opened  may  be  like  a  spring  sending 
forth  the  water  of  life.  Let  us  do  all  we  can  to  open  such 
springs. 

The  Jordan. — Here  is  a  view  of  that  sacred  river  about 
which  we  read  so  much  in  the  Bible.  It  is  a  very  small  river 
compared  with  our  Hudson  or  Ohio  or  Mississippi  rivers.  It  is 
not  more  than  about  two  hundred  miles  long  and  from  fifty  to  a 
hundred  feet  wide.  It  rises  in  several  springs  that  are  fed  by 
the  melting  snow  on  the  Lebanon  mountains,  in  the  northern 
part  of  the  land,  and  flows  into  the  Dead  Sea.  It  is  a  muddy 
stream,  that  rolls  along  in  a  narrow  bed  between  steep  banks. 
There  are  many  other  rivers  in  the  world  that  are  longer  and 
broader  and  deeper  and  clearer.  There  are  many  that  flow 
through  countries  more  fertile  and  beautiful  than  that  through 
which  the  Jordan  flows,  but  still  there  is  no  other  river  in  the 
world  so  interesting  as  this,  because  there  is  no  other  river  so 
closely  connected  with  the  history  of  the  Bible ;  and  it  is  this 
which  will  always  make  the  Jordan  such  an  interesting  river  to 
all  who  have  the  opportunity  of  visiting  it. 

It  was  in  the  month  of  March  when  we  made  our  visit  to  the 
Jordan.  Starting  from  Jericho  after  breakfast  one  morning,  a 
ride  of  about  an  hour  and  a  half  over  the  plain  that  lies  around 
the  ruins  of  Jericho  brought  us  to  the  banks  of  this  river  of  the 


84 


ILLUSTRATED  RAMBLES 


Bible.  We  came  to  the  Jordan  at  the  place  which  our  picture 
represents.  This  is  the  part  of  the  river  that  is  most  frequently 
visited.  It  is  here  that  the  pilgrims  who  go  up  to  Jerusalem 
from  all  parts  of  the  world  come  down  to  see  the  river.  We  see 
a  company  of  these  pilgrims  in  our  picture.  Some  of  them,  you 
see,  are  in  the  river  taking  a  bath,  and  the  rest  are  getting  ready 
to  go  in.  We  did  the  same,  of  course,  as  most  people  do  who 
go  to  the  Jordan,  and  we  had  a  very  pleasant  swim  in  this 
sacred  stream.  The  banks  of  the  river  are  not  steep  here,  as 
they  are  in  most  other  places,  but  slope  down  gradually  to  the 
edge  of  the  water.  You  can  go  in  some  distance  before  getting 
out  of  depth.  There  is  not  much  current  here  either,  so  that  it 
is  easy  to  bathe ;  but  in  the  middle  of  the  stream  the  current  is 
quite  strong. 

In  visiting  this  river,  as  you  sit  down  on  its  banks  and  think 
about  the  past,  you  cannot  help  feeling  very  much  interested  in 
some  of  the  things  which  have  taken  place  here.  It  was  prob¬ 
ably  somewhere  near  the  spot  which  our  picture  represents  that 
the  Israelites  crossed  over  the  river  on  their  way  from  Egypt. 
That  must  have  been  a  wonderful  sight.  They  had  a  great 
army  of  six  hundred  thousand  men.  They  were  a  nation  of  five 
or  six  millions  of  people.  There  were  more  people  among  them 
than  there  are  inhabitants  in  the  great  city  of  London.  They 
had  no  bridge  of  boats  by  which  to  get  over  the  river.  It  was 
overflowing  its  banks  at  that  time.  The  people  formed  into  a 
procession  and  marched  in  regular  order.  God  told  Joshua  to 
let  the  priests  go  before  them,  carrying  the  beautiful  golden  ark 
on  their  shoulders.  They  did  so.  With  the  priests  at  their 
head  they  began  to  march,  and  kept  right  on  as  if  they  were 
going  to  plunge  into  the  river.  But  as  soon  as  the  priests’  feet 
had  touched  the  water  a  wonderful  thing  took  place.  The  river 
stopped  at  once.  The  waters  on  one  side  rose  and  stood  upright 
like  a  Avail  of  ice  or  glass.  The  waters  on  the  other  side  rolled 
away  towards  the  Dead  Sea,  and  the  bed  of  the  river  Avas  left 
empty,  and  the  people  passed  over  and  took  possession  of  the 
laud  which  God  had  promised  them. 


IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


85 


It  was  about  tliis  same  place,  no  doubt,  that  David  passed 
over  Jordan  when  he  was  fleeing  from  his  wicked  son  Absalom, 
who  had  risen  up  in  rebellion  against  his  father.  But  David, 
we  are  told,  had  a  ferry-boat  to  take  him  over.  2  Sam.  xix.  18. 
This  is  the  only  time  that  a  ferry-boat  is  mentioned  in  the 
Bible. 

Here,  too,  Elijah  crossed  the  Jordan  when  he  was  going  up 
to  heaven.  There  was  no  ferry-boat  waiting  for  him.  So  when 
he  came  to  the  brink  of  the  river  he  took  his  mantle  and  smote 
the  waters,  and  they  opened  up  a  passage  across  the  river  for 
him,  just  as  they  had  done  for  the  Israelites  before. 

It  was  here  also,  no  doubt,  or  not  far  from  this  spot,  that 
Naaman,  the  great  Syrian  captain,  who  was  a  leper,  came  and 
dipped  himself  seven  times  in  Jordan  and  was  cured  of  his 
leprosy. 

The  Jordan  has  nothing  to  make  it  specially  attractive  be¬ 
yond  the  historical  associations  connected  with  it.  But  as  the 
stream  that  is  woven  in  so  freely  with  the  thread  of  the  Bible 
narrative,  it  will  always  retain  the  place  it  has  held  so  long 
in  the  estimation  of  Christian’s  who  visit  the  Holy  Land. 
It  is  the  only  river  of  any  importance  in  all  that  part  of  the 
country  which  the  Jews  occupied.  And  yet  there  is  a  great 
deal  of  truth  in  the  description  which  one  has  thus  given 
of  it : — 

“  For  all  practical  purposes  to  which  a  river  is  ordinarily 
applied,  the  Jordan  is  useless :  so  rapid,  that  its  course  is  to  a 
great  extent  a^  continued  cataract ;  so  crooked,  that  in  the  whole 
of  its  lower  and  main  course  it  has  hardly  half  a  mile  straight ; 
so  broken  with  rapids  and  other  impediments,  that  no  boat  can 
swim  for  more  than  the  same  distance  continuously ;  so  deep 
below  the  surface  of  the  adjacent  country,  that  it  is  invisible, 
and  can  only  be  approached  with  difficulty— resolutely  refusing 
all  communication  with  the  ocean,  and  ending  in  a  lake  the 
peculiar  conditions  of  which  render  navigation  impossible. 
With  all  these  characteristics  the  Jordan,  in  any  sense  we 
attach  to  the  word  ‘  river,’  is  no  river  at  all.  Alike  useless  for 


86 


ILLUSTRATED  RAMBLES 


irrigation  and  navigation,  it  is  in  fact  what  its  Arabic  name 
signifies,  nothing  hut  a  ‘  great  watering-place.’  ” 

The  plain  of  Jericho,  owing  to  the  want  of  culture  and  the 
neglect  of  irrigation,  has  lost  very  greatly  its  former  fertility. 
We  found  the  ride  across  hot  and  uninteresting,  and  were  not 
sorry  when  we  reached  the  banks  of  the  sacred  stream  and  got 
our  first  view  of  its  rapidly-flowing  waters,  which  are  invisible 
till  that  position  is  gained.  The  hanks  of  the  river  are  fringed 
with  broad  belts  of  tamarisk,  oleander  and  willow  trees,  among 
which  reeds  and  underwood  spring  up  so  as  to  form  impene¬ 
trable  jungles.  These  offer  secure  dens  for  the  wild  hoar  and 
the  leopard,  and  from  these  in  former  times,  as  the  prophet  says, 
“the  lion  would  come  up  from  the  swellings  of  Jordan.” 

But  more  interesting  still  than  anything  else  connected  with 
this  river  is  the  fact  that  here  the  baptism  of  our  Saviour  took 
place.  The  exact  locality  is  not  stated  by  the  sacred  historians. 
All  we  know  is  that  “  John  came  preaching  in  the  wilderness 
of  Judea,”  and  Jesus  came  “  from  Galilee  to  Jordan,  unto  John, 
to  be  baptized  of  him.”  It  must  have  been  somewhere  in  this 
neighborhood,  on  the  confines  of  the  wilderness  of  Judea,  that 
the  baptism  of  Jesus  took  place,  and  it  was  no  doubt  near  the 
spot  where  the  river  had  thrice  been  miraculously  divided. 
But  we  know  it  was  in  the  waters  of  the  Jordan  that  the  Son 
of  God  was  baptized,  and  this  fact  must  ever  impart  to  that 
river  a  sacred  interest  such  as  never  has  been  and  never  can  be 
possessed  by  any  other  in  the  world. 

The  Dead  Sea. — Every  lover  of  the  Bible  feels  a  great 
interest  in  this  sea.  The  deep  mystery  of  its  early  history,  the 
fearful  scene  of  judgment  that  once  took  place  in  connection 
with  it,  the  many  fabulous  stories  that  have  found  currency 
respecting  it,  the  desolation  and  gloom  that  everywhere  surround 
it,  and  the  problems  that  remain  yet  unsolved  in  reference  to  it, 
all  combine  to  make  one’s  visit  to  it  an  event  to  be  well 
remembered. 

On  leaving  the  banks  of  the  Jordan,  we  mounted  our  horses 
and  rode  across  the  plain  to  reach  the  shores  of  this  remarkable 


'  • 


■ 


. 


Dead  Sea. 


IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


87 


sea.  The  ride  occupied  us  about  an  hour  and  a  half.  There 
was  very  little  air  stirring,  and  the  beams  of  the  sun  poured 
down  with  great  violence,  making  the  excursion  very  hot  and 
uncomfortable.  This  part  of  the  plain  is  very  barren  and 
desolate.  The  ground  is  covered  with  an  incrustation  of  salt, 
and  the  whole  aspect  of  it  is  dreary  in  the  extreme. 

At  last  we  reached  the  shores  of  the  “  Dead  Sea.”  What  a 
strange  name  this  is !  But  as  you  stand  on  the  shore  of  the  sea 
and  look  at  it,  you  see  it  to  be  a  very  proper  name  for  it. 
There  are  two  things  about  it  which  show  how  well  it  deserves 
this  name.  One  of  these  is  the  want  of  life  around  it ;  the  other 
is  the  want  of  life  within  it.  I  want  to  speak  a  little  about  both 
of  these  things.  But  before  doing  this  it  may  be  well  to  say 
something  about  the  situation  and  size  of  this  sea. 

The  Dead  Sea  is  situated  in  the  southern  part  of  the  Holy 
Land.  It  is  into  this  sea  that  the  river  Jordan  flows  and 
empties  all  its  waters.  This  name  is  not  used  in  the  Bible,  but 
what  we  now  call  the  Dead  Sea  is  spoken  of  there  as  the  Salt 
Sea.  The  water  of  this  sea  is  very  clear.  When  we  came  from 
the  river  Jordan  opposite  Jericho  to  the  pebbly  beach  of  this 
sea,  I  was  surprised  to  find  how  beautifully  clear  its  water  was. 
As  we  walked  along  the  shore  we  could  see  anything  at  the 
bottom  of  the  water  to  a  very  great  distance  from  where  we 
stood. 

The  Dead  Sea  is  quite  a  small  body  of  water  compared  to  the 
ocean  and  other  collections  of  water  that  we  are  accustomed  to 
speak  of  as  seas.  It  is  not  more  than  forty  or  fifty  miles  long 
and  about  eight  or  ten  miles  wide.  It  is  only  about  fifty  or 
sixty  miles  distant  from  the  Mediterranean  Sea,  and  yet  the 
water  in  the  Dead  Sea  is  thirteen  hundred  feet  below  the  level 
of  the  Mediterranean. 

But  now  it  is  time  to  speak  of  the  two  reasons  for  calling  this 
the  Dead  Sea.  One  of  these  reasons  I  said  was  the  want  of  life 
around  this  sea.  Everything  around  it  is  desolate  and  dreary. 
There  is  a  range  of  mountains  on  the  eastern  side  of  this  sea, 
which  are  spoken  of  in  the  Bible  as  “  the  mountains  of  Moab.” 


88 


ILLUSTRATED  RAMBLES 


And  there  is  another  on  the  western  side  in  that  part  of  the 
country  which  is  spoken  of  in  the  Bible  as  “  the  wilderness  of 
Judea.”  These  mountains  shut  it  in  all  round.  And  there  is 
nothing  growing  on  these  mountains.  No  trees  or  shrubs  or 
grass  appear  anywhere.  As  you  stand  on  the  shore  of  this  sea 
and  look  around,  everything  is  as  gloomy  and  barren  as  can  be. 
The  air,  too,  that  hangs  over  the  sea  is  thick  and  heavy,  and 
this  helps  to  make  it  look  more  gloomy  still.  It  seems  as  if 
nothing  was  living  and  nothing  growing  all  round  this  sheet  of 
water.  It  looks  like  the  home  of  death.  Life  in  every  form 
seems  to  have  been  driven  away,  and  the  Dead  Sea  is  just  the 
most  proper  name  that  could  have  been  given  to  it.  It  is 
well  called  the  Dead  Sea,  because  death  seems  to  reign  all 
around  it. 

The  other  reason  why  this  name  is  given  to  it  is  because  of 
the  want  of  life  within  it.  Death  is  there,  too,  as  well  as  all 
around  it.  You  know  that  the  water  of  the  ocean  is  full  of  life. 
From  the  great  whales  which  play  about  in  its  depths,  down  to 
the  tiny  little  creature  that  we  cannot  see  without  a  microscope, 
all  have  their  home  there.  And  so  it  is  with  our  lakes  and 
rivers  and  ponds.  They  are  all  filled  with  a  great  variety  of 
creatures  that  God  has  made  to  spend  their  lives  there.  If  you 
take  a  single  drop  of  water  from  the  pond  by  the  road-side, 
covered  over  with  a  green  scum,  and  look  at  it  through  a  micro¬ 
scope,  it  looks  like  a  world  full  of  living  things. 

But  it  is  very  different  with  the  water  in  the  Dead  Sea.  No 
living  thing  is  ever  found  in  this  water.  It  is  so  salt  and  bitter 
that  nothing  can  live  in  it.  There  are  fish  living  in  the  river 
Jordan,  and  as  its  water  is  rolled  into  this  sea  of  course  the  fish 
are  carried  with  it.  But  the  water  kills  them,  and  their  dead 
bodies  are  seen  floating  on  the  surface  of  the  sea.  And  this 
shows  us  how  proper  it  is  to  call  this  the  Dead  Sea. 

There  is  so  much  salt  in  the  water  of  this  sea,  that  it  is  said 
if  you  throw  salt  into  it,  it  won’t  dissolve.  And  you  know  that 
salt  water  is  heavier  than  fresh  water.  And  the  heavier  water 
is,  the  easier  it  is  for  things  to  float  in  it.  This  is  the  reason 


IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


89 


why  it  is  so  much  easier  to  swim  in  the  salt  water  of  the  ocean 
than  in  the  fresh  water  of  our  lakes  and  rivers.  But  the  water 
of  the  Dead  Sea  is  so  very  salt  that  it  is  hard  to  make  things 
sink  in  it.  An  egg  that  would  sink  to  the  bottom  in  fresh 
water  will  float  on  the  surface  of  this  water  like  a  cork.  Per¬ 
sons  who  don’t  know  how  to  swim,  when  they  go  into  this  water 
to  bathe  find  themselves  floating  on  the  top  of  it,  just  as  if  they 
had  life-preservers  on.  This  would  be  a  grand  place  for  hoys 
to  learn  to-  swim,  if  it  were  not  that,  owing  to  the  great  saltness 
of  the  water,  it  leaves  a  very  disagreeable  feeling  on  the  skin 
after  you  come  out. 

Commander  Lynch,  of  the  United  States  Expedition,  after 
bathing  here,  says  :  “  With  great  difficulty  I  kept  my  feet  down, 
and  when  I  lay  upon  my  back,  and,  drawing  up  my  knees, 
placed  my  hands  on  them,  I  rolled  over.  Two  fresh  hen’s  eggs, 
that  would  have  sunk  in  the  water  of  the  Atlantic,  floated  with 
one-third  of  their  length  out  of  water.  A  large  muscular  man 
floated  nearly  breast-high  without  the  least  exertion.”  Dr. 
Robinson  says  that  “  though  he  could  never  swim  before,  either 
in  fresh  or  salt  water,  yet  here  he  could  sit,  stand,  lie  or  swim 
without  difficulty.” 

Nothing  can  exceed  the  contrast  between  the  dreariness  that 
now  marks  the  whole  region  round  this  sea  and  the  fertility 
which  characterized  it  before  the  destruction  of  Sodom. 

We  read  in  Gen.  xiii.  10,  that  “all  the  plain  of  Jordan  was 
well  watered  everywhere,  before  the  Lord  destroyed  Sodom  and 
Gomorrah,  even  as  the  garden  of  the  Lord.” 

Dr.  Thomson  has  the  following  theory  on  this  subject :  “  The 
river  Jordan  begins  in  the  valleys  of  Hermon  and  terminates  in 
this  sea,  and  it  is  my  opinion  that  until  the  destruction  of  Sodom 
this  was  a  fresh-water  lake,  and  that  its  character  was  changed 
at  that  time  by  the  obtrusion  from  below  of  rock  salt  and  other 
volcanic  products,  which  have  rendered  it  so  extremely  bitter 
and  nauseous.  The  evidences  of  such  action  and  obtrusion  are 
to  be  seen  in  the  ridge  of  rock  salt  at  the  south  end  of  the  lake, 
and  in  the  presence  of  naphtha  and  bitumen  in  its  waters.  The 


90 


ILLUSTRATED  RAMBLES 


lake  was  originally  shorter  by  the  length  of  the  plains  on  which 
Sodom  and  Gomorrah  stood.  This  southern  plain  I  suppose 
was  actually  flooded  when  the  annual  freshet  of  the  river  raised 
the  water  in  the  lake,  just  as  Egypt  is  flooded  by  the  Nile.  We 
have  only  to  suppose  that  the  inhabitants  knew  how  to  control 
the  rising  of  the  lake  by  embankments,  as  the  Egyptians  did  the 
Nile,  and  the  whole  mystery  about  the  former  fertility  of  the 
plain  is  accounted  for.  It  seems  evident  that  if  this  had  been  a 
salt  sea  then,  the  whole  territories  about  those  cities  must  have 
been  as  blasted  and  barren  as  are  the  desolate  shores  at  present, 
which  would  be  in  flat  contradiction  of  the  statement  in 
Genesis.” 

This  is  an  ingenious  theory,  and  I  see  no  difficulty  in  the  way 
of  admitting  it.  Certain  it  is,  that  whole  region  in  its  dreari¬ 
ness  seems  to  have  been  left  by  God  as  a  standing  monument 
of  the  blighting  influence  of  sin. 

Who  can  think  of  the  luxuriance  which  marked  that  region 
once,  and  of  the  horrible  desolation  stamped  on  it  now,  without 
seeing  a  startling  illustration  of  the  Psalmist’s  words  when 
he  speaks  of  God  as  “  making  a  fruitful  land  barren  for  the 
wickedness  of  them  that  dwell  therein  ?” 


IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


91 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

FROM  THE  DEAD  SEA  TO  JERUSALEM  —  THE  WILDERNESS  OF 
JUDEA  —  THE  CONVENT  OF  MAR  SABA  —  BETHLEHEM  —  THE 
TOOLS  OF  SOLOMON — HEBRON  AND  ABRAHAM’S  OAK. 

After  lingering  on  the  shores  of  the  desolate  lake  till  our 
curiosity  was  fully  satisfied,  we  mounted  our  horses  and  began 
our  journey  towards  the  convent  of  Mar  Saba.  This  convent 
itself,  of  course,  has  no  connection  with  Bible  history,  hut  the 
country  all  around  is  full  of  interesting  Bible  associations. 

It  is  about  five  hours’  journey  from  the  Dead  Sea  to  the  con¬ 
vent.  The  road  lies  through  the  wilderness  of  Judea.  It  is 
wonderfully  wild  and  even  grand  in  its  desolation.  This  wil¬ 
derness  is  made  up  of  hills  and  mountains  of  rock  and  sand  or 
gravel,  without  trees  or  grass  or  anything  green.  You  can 
hardly  think  of  anything  more  desolate  than  all  this  region  of 
country  is.  The  lonely  path  winds  round  and  runs  over  a  suc¬ 
cession  of  lofty  hills  and  mountains,  appalling  in  the  sternness 
of  their  unrelieved  barrenness.  Before  my  visit  to  it,  when  I 
read  in  the  New  Testament  of  “  the  wilderness  of  Judea,”  where 
John  the  Baptist  began  his  ministry,  and  “  there  went  out  to 
him  all  Jerusalem,  and  the  region  round  about,  and  were  bap¬ 
tized  of  him  in  Jordan  confessing  their  sins,”  and  where  “Jesus 
was  led  up  of  the  Spirit  to  be  tempted  of  the  devil,”  I  always 
used  to  think  of  it  as  a  sort  of  forest.  I  supposed  it  was  called 
“  a  wilderness ”  because  nobody  lived  there  ;  but  still  I  thought 
there  were  plenty  of  trees  and  bushes  and  grass  growing  there. 
This,  you  know,  is  the  case  with  some  parts  of  our  own  country 
which  we  speak  of  as  the  wilderness.  The  Adirondack  region 
in  the  State  of  New  York  is  an  instance  of  this.  That  is  a 
region  as  large  as  all  the  Holy  Land  put  together.  And  it  is  a 
wilderness,  too.  But  it  is  a  forest  wilderness.  It  is  very  fertile. 
Woods  of  fine  large  trees,  with  plenty  of  bushes  and  grass,  are 
found  everywhere.  But  the  “wilderness  of  Judea”  is  very 
different  from  this.  It  is  just  what  is  spoken  of  in  the  Bible  as 


92 


ILLUSTRATED  RAMBLES 


“  a  waste  howling  wilderness.”  There  is  nothing  green  or 
beautiful  for  the  eye  of  the  traveller  to  rest  on. 

It  was  amidst  these  scenes  of  gloomy  desolation  that  our 
Saviour  sojourned  during  the  forty  days  of  His  fasting  and 
temptation.  “  He  was  there  in  the  wilderness,”  says  the  Evan¬ 
gelist,  “  and  was  with  the  wild  beasts.”  And  as  I  rode  along  I 
found  myself  every  now  and  then  looking  down  into  some 
gloomy  gorge,  or  gazing  on  some  desolate  mountain  side  or 
summit  with  feelings  of  strange  and  sacred  interest,  when  I 
thought  that  perhaps  in  that  lonely  valley  Jesus  in  his  solitude 
may  have  tarried  for  a  night ;  up  that  steep  hill-side  He  may 
have  climbed,  and  along  that  giddy  height  He  may  have  walked 
when  He  was  wrestling  single-handed  with  the  tempter.  How 
it  hallowed  the  dreary  wildness  of  that  scene  to  know  that 
Jesus  had  been  there,  when  He  tabernacled  in  the  flesh,  and  to 
think  that  along  the  very  path  that  we  were  journeying,  His 
blessed  feet  may  have  trod ;  and  in  some  one  of  those  gloomy 
dells  by  which  we  were  passing,  it  may  have  been  that  He  was 
halting  when  “  the  angels  came  and  ministered  unto  him !” 

And  then  this  same  desolate  region  is  intimately  associated, 
too,  with  the  memory  of  David,  the  royal  ancestor  of  our  great 
Redeemer.  It  was  in  this  very  wilderness  that  he  spent  much 
of  his  time  when  fleeing  from  the  persecutions  of  Saul.  As  we 
reached  the  highest  summit  of  the  ridge,  a  commanding  view 
was  afforded  of  all  the  country  down  to  the  southern  part  of  the 
Dead  Sea.  There  we  saw  the  “  Wilderness  of  Engedi” — rugged, 
dreary  and  bare — in  the  dens  and  caves  of  which  David  and  his 
men  so  often  found  shelter. 

As  we  drew  near  to  the  end  of  our  day’s  journey,  the  road  ran 
along  the  south  bank  of  the  wild  ravine  through  which  the 
Kedron  flows.  It  is  carried  up  the  bank  and  then  along  the 
brink  of  the  chasm,  partly  on  a  natural  ledge  of  rock  and  partly 
on  an  artificial  cutting.  The  nearer  we  came  to  the  convent  the 
deeper  became  the  ravine  along  which  we  were  journeying. 
The  mountains  overhead  grew  wilder  and  grander,  while  here 
and  there  dark  openings  of  caves  and  grottoes  were  seen  in  the 


■ 


' 


\ 

1 


Convent  of  Mar  Saba. 


IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


93 


sides  of  the  cliffs,  once  the  retreats  of  monks  and  anchorites,  hut 
now  the  home  only  of  bats.  At  last  the  massive  walls  and 
battlements  of  the  convent  burst  upon  our  view,  and  the  end 
of  our  day’s  toilsome  but  most  exciting  journey  was  reached. 

The  Convent  of  Mar  Saba  is  situated  in  one  of  the  wildest 
places  I  ever  saw.  Look  at  the  picture  and  you  will  see  this. 
There  is  a  deep  rent  in  the  mountains  here.  Through  this  rent 
the  brook  Kedron,  which  flows  past  the  city  of  Jerusalem,  makes 
its  way  down  to  the  Dead  Sea.  The  sheet  of  water  which  you 
see  away  off  among  the  mountains  in  the  picture  is  this  sea. 

This  convent  was  begun  in  the  year  483.  So  you  see  it  is 
nearly  fourteen  hundred  years  old.  It  was  built  by  a  man 
named  Saba.  He  was  esteemed  a  very  good  and  holy  man. 
He  was  so  much  loved  and  esteemed  for  his  goodness  by  those 
who  knew  him,  that  after  his  death  the  building  was  named,  in 
honor  of  him,  the  Convent  of  Mar  Saba,  or  Saint  Saba. 

He  lived  at  a  time  when  men  thought  that  the  best  way  of 
showing  their  religion  was  by  shutting  themselves  up  in  great 
houses,  called  convents,  or  by  living  alone  in  dens  and  caves  of 
the  earth.  Saba  was  born  in  the  country  of  Asia  Minor.  But 
he  came  over  to  Palestine  to  live  there.  He  looked  out  for  a 
wild,  lonely  place,  where  he  could  get  a  good  many  men  round 
him  and  establish  a  convent. 

He  made  choice  of  this  place  in  the  wilderness  of  Judea, 
which  you  see  represented  in  our  picture.  Certainly  he  could 
not  well  have  found  a  wilder  or  more  lonely  place.  Here  he 
first  lived  in  a  cave.  The  story  is  that  he  found  a  lion  living 
in  the  cave,  and  that  when  he  told  him  what  he  Avantcd  to  do 
with  the  cave,  the  lion  good-naturedly  went  off  to  find  another 
cave  and  left  his  own  for  the  good  man  to  occupy.  Here  lie 
began  to  build  the  convent.  A  great  many  men  came  to  live 
with  him,  and  others  lived  in  caves  in  different  parts  of  the 
wilderness. 

Many  travellers  seek  quarters  in  the  convent  and  pass  a  night 
there.  It  is  open  to  all  but  ladies  and  Arabs .  These  two  classes 
are  rigidly  proscribed.  A  female  or  a  Bedouin  is  never  under 


94 


ILLUSTRATED  RAMBLES 


any  circumstances  allowed  to  enter  the  portal  of  the  establishment 
We  preferred  to  pitch  our  tents  in  the  neighborhood  and  occupy 
our  own  quarters.  And  as  it  was  late  when  we  arrived,  our 
visit  to  the  convent  was  reserved  for  the  next  morning. 

In  the  wild  grandeur  of  its  situation  the  Convent  of  Mar  Baba 
is  the  most  remarkable  building  in  Palestine.  It  is  a  great, 
irregular  mass,  composed  of  walls,  towers,  cells,  chambers  and 
chapels,  overhanging  a  deep  and  awful-looking  chasm,  all 
seeming  to  have  grown  out  of  the  rock  or  to  have  been  stayed, 
as  it  was  slipping  down  the  precipice,  by  huge  buttresses  rising 
up  from  the  abyss  beneath. 

“  The  buildings  are  so  dispersed  along  the  side  of  the  ravine, 
from  the  summit  far  down  towards  the  base,  that  it  is  impossible 
to  tell  how  much  is  masonry  and  how  much  natural  rock. 
Within  the  same  difficulty  is  felt,  for  everywhere  advantage 
has  been  taken  of  natural  caves,  to  which  artificial  ones  have 
been  added  in  bygone  ages  by  the  industry  of  monks,  while 
steep  flights  of  stairs  and  long  narrow  galleries  connect  the 
whole  together,  forming  a  labyrinth  which  none  but  the  inhab¬ 
itants  of  the  place  can  thread.  Never  did  the  taste  of  monk  or 
anchorite  select  a  spot  better  adapted  for  gloomy  devotion  and 
useless  solitude  than  the  glen  of  Mar  Saba.” 

We  found  the  interior  well  worth  a  visit,  with  its  groups  of 
cells,  its  staircases  and  galleries,  its  chapels  and  tombs.  One 
of  the  brotherhood  was  assigned  us  as  a  guide,  who  showed  us 
all  the  different  objects  of  interest :  the  cave  in  which  St.  Saba 
lived  and  died ;  the  charnel-house,  with  its  piled-up  bones  of 
martyred  saints ;  the  numerous  chapels  covered  with  pictures 
and  Greek  inscriptions,  and  the  really  splendid  church  sparkling 
with  silver  and  gold. 

On  finishing  our  exploration  of  this  strange,  wild,  interesting 
place,  we  made  a  few  purchases  of  canes,  olive-wood  articles  or 
pearl-work,  as  mementoes  of  our  visit  and  by  way  of  compensa¬ 
tion  to  our  guide  for  his  trouble. 

This  convent  belongs  now  to  the  Greek  Church.  It  is  jdos- 
sessed  of  very  great  wealth,  which  is  only  preserved  from  the 


Bethlehem 


IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


95 


rapacious  Arabs  who  prowl  through  this  region  by  the  strength 
of  its  walls  and  the  unceasing  vigilance  with  which  it  is 
guarded. 

May  the  time  soon  come  when  these  idle  monks  will  get  a 
clearer  view  of  the  religion  of  their  professed  master,  and, 
instead  of  shutting  themselves  up  in  useless  solitude,  will  learn 
to  imitate  the  example  of  Him  who  “  went  about  doing  good.” 

Bethlehem.— Next  to  Jerusalem,  where  Jesus  died,  no  spot 
in  the  Holy  Land  stirs  the  heart  of  the  Christian  traveller  more, 
or  fills  it  with  stronger  emotions,  than  a  visit  to  Bethlehem, 
where  Jesus  was  born.  Some  make  their  approach  to  this  inte¬ 
resting  spot  from  Jerusalem  on  the  north.  We  made  our  way 
to  it  from  the  east,  in  returning  from  our  visit  to  the  Convent 
of  Mar  Saba. 

After  an  early  breakfast  we  made  our  examination  of  that 
famous  convent,  and  then  took  up  our  line  of  march  for  Beth¬ 
lehem.  A  three  hours’  ride  through  the  wilderness  of  Judea 
brought  us  iu  sight  of  this  sacred  spot.  Its  appearance  in 
approaching  is  very  beautiful.  It  is  situated  on  a  narrow  ridge 
which  projects  towards  the  east,  and  breaks  down  in  abrupt 
terraced  slopes  to  the  deep  valleys  that  lie  beneath.  The  ter¬ 
races  are  admirably  kept,  and  are  covered  with  rows  of  olive 
trees,  intermixed  with  the  fig  and  the  vine.  They  sweej)  in 
graceful  curves  round  the  hill  like  natural  stairs. 

We  rode  through  luxuriant  fields  of  waving  grain  in  ap¬ 
proaching  the  city.  Some  of  these  were  doubtless  once  the 
property  of  Naomi’s  rich  kinsman,  Boaz.  Here  he  visited  his 
reapers  in  time  of  harvest,  and  here  Ruth  gleaned  after  them, 
as  we  read  in  that  charming  book  of  Scripture  which  bears  her 
honored  name. 

Here,  too,  David,  the  ruddy  shepherd  boy,  kept  his  father’s 
flocks.  Here,  in  protecting  them  from  the  inroads  of  wild 
beasts  and  wilder  men,  he  took  his  first  lessons  in  the  use  of  the 
sling  and  the  stone — the  simple  weapon  of  those  days — which 
prepared  him  for  the  sterner  conflict  with  the  gigantic  defier  of 
Israel’s  God,  and  for  the  successful  warfare  which  he  waged 


96 


ILL  USTRA  TED  RAMBLES 


against  the  hosts  of  the  Philistines.  What  a  charm  these  in¬ 
teresting  associations  threw  around  the  scenes  of  this  day’s 
journey ! 

It  Avas  in  this  city  that  Jesse,  the  father  of  David,  lived ;  and 
it  was  to  the  house  of  Jesse  that  the  prophet  Samuel  came,  as 
Ave  read  in  1  Samuel,  16th  chapter,  when  God  told  him  to  take 
a  horn  full  of  oil  and  anoint  one  of  Jesse’s  sons,  who  Avas  to  be 
made  king  in  the  place  of  Saul.  Saul  had  refused  to  obey  God, 
and  for  this  reason  he  Avas  to  lose  his  kingdom.  Jesse  had  eight 
sons.  God  did  not  tell  Samuel,  before  he  Avent,  which  of  these 
sons  AATas  to  be  made  king.  Samuel  told  Jesse  what  he  had 
come  for,  and  asked  him  to  bring  in  his  sons.  The  oldest  came 
in  first.  Plis  name  Avas  Eliab.  He  was  a  tall,  strong,  fine- 
looking  young  man.  When  Samuel  saAV  him,  he  thought  he 
would  make  a  splendid-looking  king.  Pie  said  to  himself,  “  this 
must  be  the  one,”  and  he  Avas  going  to  anoint  him.  But  God 
told  him  he  Avas  mistaken.  He  said  :  “  Look  not  on  his  counte¬ 
nance,  or  on  the  height  of  his  stature ;  for  the  Lord  seeth  not  as 
man  seeth  ;  for  man  looketh  on  the  outAvard  appearance,  but  the 
Lord  looketh  at  the  heart.”  So  the  tall,  good-looking  Eliab 
had  to  stand  aside.  Then  the  next  came,  and  the  third  and  the 
fourth,  till  the  seven  oldest  sons  of  Jesse  had  stood  before 
Samuel,  and  they  AA'ere  all  passed  by.  The  king  that  God  had 
chosen  Avas  not  found  among  them.  Then  Samuel  asked  Jesse 
if  these  Avere  all  his  children.  He  said  there  Avas  one  other,  the 
youngest,  a  shepherd  boy  out  in  the  field  Avith  the  sheep. 
“  Send  and  fetch  him,”  said  Samuel.  So  young  Da\Tid  was  sent 
for.  I  suppose  he  came  in  with  his  staff  in  his  hand,  and  his 
scrip,  or  bag,  hanging  by  his  side.  Hoaat  little  David  thought, 
Avhen  the  servant  called  him  and  he  left  the  sheep  to  go  into  the 
house,  AAdiat  he  Avas  going  for  ! 

Pie  probably  ran  when  he  Avas  called,  and  AAras  all  in  a  gloAV 
AAThen  he  entered  the  house.  For  the  Bible  says:  “He  AAras 
ruddy,” — i.  e.  rosy-faced — “  and  withal  of  a  beautiful  counte¬ 
nance,  and  goodly  to  look  to.”  And  the  Lord  said :  “  Arise, 
anoint  him  ;  for  this  is  he.”  And  so  David  Avas  anointed  to  be 


IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


97 


the  future  king  of  Israel.  This  took  place  iu  Bethlehem. 
David  was  born  there.  He  lived  there  till  he  left  his  sheep  and 
went  to  be  a  soldier.  And  this  is  the  reason  that  Bethlehem 
was  called  “  the  city  of  David.” 

About  half  a  mile  before  we  reached  the  city,  our  dragoman 
took  us  off  the  road  into  a  field  to  see  “  The  Grotto  of  the 
Shepherds.”  This  is  the  spot  where,  tradition  says,  “  the  shep¬ 
herds  were  abiding  in  the  fields  keeping  watch  over  their  flocks 
by  night,  when  lo,  the  angel  of  the  Lord  came  upon  them,  and 
the  glory  of  the  Lord  shone  round  about  them,”  and  the  most 
wondrous  tidings  ever  revealed  to  mortals  were  made  known  to 
them,  of  the  birth  of  the  world’s  Redeemer.  How  it  thrills  the 
heart  to  stand  on  the  spot  where  such  a  scene  was  once 
enacted ! 

As  soon  as  “  the  angels  were  gone  away  into  heaven,”  we  are 
told  that  the  shepherds  Avent  to  Bethlehem  to  see  that  wondrous 
child  of  whose  birth  the  angels  had  told  them.  We  folloAved 
the  example  of  the  shepherds,  and  Avent  to  Bethlehem,  not  to 
see,  as  they  did,  “  the  young  child  and  his  mother,”  but  only  to 
see  the  place  Avliere  that  child  was  born. 

Bethlehem  has  never  been  in  itself  a  place  of  much  import¬ 
ance.  The  prophet  speaks  of  it  as  “  little  among  the  thousands 
of  Judah.”  Micah  v.  2.  Such  it  was  then  and  such  it  is  still. 
Its  present  population  does  not  exceed  three  or  four  thousand. 
These  arc  peasants  living  by  the  cultivation  of  their  fields  and 
gardens.  Some  of  them  spend  their  spare  time  in  carving  heads, 
crucifixes,  models  of  the  Holy  Sepulchre,  and  a  variety  of  simi¬ 
lar  articles,  in  olive-Avood  and  mother-of-pearl,  which  they  sell 
to  pilgrims  and  travellers. 

Of  course,  the  first  object  of  interest  to  every  one  who  visits 
Bethlehem  is  that  most  sacred  spot,  the  place  of  the  nativity. 
A  convent  is  erected  over  it,  called  the  Convent  of  the  Nativity. 
It  is  an  enormous  building,  consisting  of  a  church  and  three 
convents.  This  was  erected  by  the  Empress  Helena  in  the 
early  part  of  the  fourth  century.  It  is,  therefore,  the  oldest 
monument  of  Christian  architecture  in  the  world.  The  nave, 
7 


98 


ILLUSTRATED  RAMBLES 


however,  is  the  only  part  of  this  great  structure  in  which  the 
Christian  tourist  feels  a  special  interest.  And  this  is  all  that 
now  remains  of  Helena’s  vast  temple.  From  this  we  de¬ 
scended  to  the  subterranean  vault  over  which  and  for  which 
the  whole  structure  was  erected.  There,  at  the  entrance  of  a 
long,  winding  passage,  excavated  out  of  the  limestone  rock  of 
which  the  hill  of  Bethlehem  is  composed,  the  pilgrim  finds  him¬ 
self  in  an  irregular-shaped  chapel,  dimly  lighted  with  silver 
lamps,  and  containing  two  small  recesses,  nearly  opposite  each 
other.  In  the  northernmost  of  these  is  a  marble  slab,  on  which 
a  silver  star  marks  the  supposed  spot  of  the  nativity.  This 
star  was  sent  from  Vienna  in  1852,  to  supply  the  place  of  that 
which  the  Greeks  are  said  to  have  stolen.  Around  the  star 
are  inscribed  the  Latin  words:  “ Hie  de  Virgine  Maria  Jesus 
Christus  Natus  est” — “  Here  Jesus  Christ  was  born  of  the  Virgin 
Mary.”  Assuming  the  authenticity  of  the  account  which  con¬ 
nects  with  this  spot  the  wondrous  event  that  took  place  here, 
how  impressive  are  the  thoughts  and  feelings  which  fill  the  soul 
in  its  quiet  musings  here !  What  an  era  it  was  in  the  history 
of  our  world  and  of  the  universe  when  that  wondrous  birth  was 
accomplished !  And  when  the  grand  results  are  realized  to 
which  it  was  designed  to  lead,  how  effulgent  the  glory  that  will 
gather  round  this  spot  forever ! 

The  reputed  cave  is  all  covered  over  with  marble.  Nothing 
of  the  natural  rock  appears.  How  much  more  interesting  and 
impressive  it  would  be  if  all  these  artificial  coverings  were 
removed,  and  the  cave,  if  such  it  were,  had  been  left  without 
any  of  these  attempts  at  extra  ornamentation.  On  going  into 
the  Mosque  of  Omar  at  Jerusalem,  and  seeing  how  the  Mahom- 
medans  have  left  the  reputed  summit  of  Mount  Moriah  there, 
so  that  nothing  but  the  natural  rock  appears,  you  cannot  but 
approve  the  good  sense  and  taste  which  dictate  such  a  course, 
rather  than  that  which  the  Christians  adopt  in  encasing  every 
part  of  such  a  spot  in  marble. 

In  going  through  the  church,  I  observed  in  one  corner  a 
devotee  engaged  in  his  strange  worship.  He  was  kneeling  on 


Pools  of  Solomon. 


IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


99 


the  edge  of  a  mat  spread  out  on  the  marble.  He  would  bend 
himself  over  till  his  forehead  touched  the  floor.  After  re¬ 
maining  a  moment  in  that  position,  he  would  bring  his  body 
into  an  upright  position  again,  and  then  repeat  his  prostration. 
This  “  bodily  exercise”  he  continues  hour  after  hour,  all  day. 
We  were  told  that  he  had  occupied  the  same  position,  in  the 
performance  of  the  same  unmeaning  service,  for  fifteen  years  ! 
Job  says  “the  waters  wear  the  stone.”  But  this  man  has  worn 
a  hollow  place  in  the  solid  marble  by  simply  touching  it  with 
his  forehead.  How  strange  the  caricatures  of  religion  by  which 
men  will  torture  themselves,  instead  of  rendering  to  God  that 
“  reasonable  service”  which  He  requires ! 

We  finished  our  visit  to  Bethlehem  by  going  to  see  the 
famous  well  for  whose  water  David  longed  when  he  Avas  in  the 
cave  of  Adullam.  1  Chron.  xi.  15-19.  Three  of  his  devoted 
followers  made  their  way  through  the  hosts  of  the  Philistines 
and  brought  him  Avater  from  this  Avell.  But  though  touched 
Avitli  this  proof  of  their  attachment,  he  poured  out  the  water  as 
an  offering  to  God,  being  unwilling  to  drink  of  that  for  which 
his  friends  had  hazarded  their  lives. 

The  Avell  is  a  deep,  Avide  cistern,  a  short  distance  from  the 
gate  of  the  city,  and  with  every  appearance  of  antiquity  about 
it.  A  young  woman  from  the  city  “  came  to  draw  water”  while 
Ave  were  there.  She  kindly  alloAved  us  the  use  of  her  pitcher  in 
partakiug  of  the  water  of  the  well.  It  contains  an  abundant 
supply  of  good,  clear  Avater.  We  drank  freely  of  it  in  memory 
of  David,  and  in  grateful  recollection  of  the  words  of  David’s 
Lord,  when  He  said  :  “  Whosoever  drinketh  of  this  water  shall 
thirst  again  ;  but  whosoever  drinketh  of  the  water  that  I  shall 
give  him  shall  never  thirst ;  but  the  water  that  I  shall  give  him 
shall  be  in  him  a  well  of  water  springing  up  into  everlasting 
life.”  May  the  Lord  gLe  us  all  to  drink  of  that  water ! 

The  Pools  of  Solomon. — After  visiting  the  objects  of  inte¬ 
rest  in  Bethlehem  and  taking  lunch  there,  Ave  started  for  the 
Pools  of  Solomon.  Our  intention  Avas  to  visit  these  on  our  Avay 
to  Hebron,  as  they  lie  directly  on  the  route.  But  a  storm  over- 


100 


ILL  USTRA  TED  RAMBLES 


took  us  on  the  way.  By  the  time  we  reached  the  pools  we  were 
wet  through ;  and  having  no  clothes  with  us  to  change,  as  our 
heavy  baggage  was  left  behind  at  Jerusalem,  we  concluded  to 
remain  there  for  the  rest  of  the  day.  So  we  pitched  our  tents 
on  the  side  of  the  hill  overlooking  the  pools,  and  as  the  rain  had 
ceased,  though  it  was  still  cloudy,  we  walked  about  to  try  and 
get  dry  by  exercise,  rather  than  sit  down  in  our  wet  clothes. 

The  Pools  of  Solomon  are  objects  of  great  interest  to  the 
Christian  tourist,  not  only  for  their  great  size  but  for  their 
undoubted  antiquity.  There  cannot  be  a  reasonable  question 
that  they  have  come  down  to  us  from  Solomon’s  own  time,  and 
are  among  the  few  remains  still  extant  of  the  works  of  that 
magnificent  monarch  when  he  was  making  the  experiment,  on 
the  grandest  scale  ever  attempted  by  mortal  man,  of  the  ca¬ 
pacity  of  earthly  things  to  satisfy  the  soul.  He  has  written 
out  the  result  of  his  experiment  in  the  melancholy  but  memo¬ 
rable  words:  “Vanity  of  vanities,  saith  the  preacher;  all  is 
vanity !  ” 

These  pools  are  three  in  number.  Our  engraving  is  from  a 
photograph  taken  on  the  spot.  They  are  built  on  a  rising 
ground,  each  occupying  a  different  level.  The  bottom  of  the 
upper  pool  is  a  little  above  the  top  of  the  second,  and  the 
bottom  of  this  again  is  a  little  above  the  top  of  the  third. 
They  are  so  arranged  in  order  that  when  one  is  filled  its  over¬ 
flowings  may  be  collected  in  the  next,  and  the  same  with  the 
third  when  the  second  is  full. 

These  pools  are  of  an  irregular  rectangular  shape.  They 
have  been  partly  excavated  from  the  rocky  bed  of  the  valley 
and  partly  built  of  large  hewn  stones.  The  sides  and  bottoms 
of  the  pools  are  covered  with  cement.  They  are  still  used  for 
the  purpose  for  which  they  'were  originally  constructed,  viz. : 
the  supply  of  Jerusalem  with  water.  At  the  time  of  our  visit 
there  was  not  much  water  in  any  of  them,  though  at  some 
seasons  of  the  year  they  are  well  filled  with  water.  Dr.  Robin¬ 
son,  who  is  good  authority  in  such  matters,  gives  their  dimen¬ 
sions  as  follows : — 


IN  BIBLE  LANDS.  101 


THE  LOWER  POOL. 


Length, . 

.  582  feet. 

Breadth,  t  the  east  end,  .  .  .  . 

207  feet. 

(  at  the  west  end, 

.  148  feet. 

Depth, . 

50  feet. 

MIDDLE  POOL. 

Distance  from  the  lower  pool,  . 

.  248  feet. 

Length, . 

423  feet. 

Breadth,  {  at  the  east  end,  .  .  . 

(  at  the  west  end,  .... 

.  250  feet. 

160  feet. 

Depth, . 

39  feet. 

UPPER  POOL. 

Distance  from  the  middle  pool, 

160  feet. 

Length, . 

.  380  feet. 

Breadth,  {  at  ^  cast  c“d . 

(  at  the  west  end, 

250  feet. 

160  feet. 

Depth, . 

39  feet. 

From  this  it  will  be  seen  that  the  lower  pool 

is  much  larg< 

than  either  of  the  others.  When  filled  with  water  it  is  capable 
of  floating  the  largest  man-of-war  that  ever  sailed. 

To  the  north  of  the  upper  pool,  and  not  far  from  it,  stands  an 
old  Saracenic  fortress,  which  is  occupied  by  the  keeper  of  the 
pools.  This  may  be  seen  in  our  engraving.  These  pools  are 
supplied  from  a  subterranean  fountain  in  the  open  field,  some 
distance  from  the  valley,  to  the  north-west.  The  only  visible 
mark  of  this  fountain  is  a  circular  opening,  like  the  mouth  of  a 
well,  generally  covered  with  a  large  stone.  In  Canticles  iv.  12, 
Solomon  says :  “  A  garden  enclosed  is  my  sister,  my  spouse ;  a 
spring  shut  up,  a  fountain  sealed.”  Tradition  says  that  this 
spring  furnished  the  wise  king  with  the  beautiful  figure  which 
he  here  employs,  and  which  every  experimental  Christian  is 
accustomed  to  think  of  and  quote  as  applying  to  Jesus. 

This  circular  opening  is  the  entrance  to  a  fountain  which  is 
thus  described  by  Maundrell :  “  Through  this  hole  you  descend 
directly  down,  but  not  without  some  difficulty,  for  about  four 
yards,  and  then  arrive  at  a  vaulted  room  fifteen  paces  long  and 


102 


ILLUSTRATED  RAMBLES 


eight  broad.  Joining  to  this  is  another  room  of  the  same 
fashion,  but  somewhat  less.  Both  these  rooms  are  covered  with 
handsome  stone  arches,  very  ancient,  and  doubtless  the  work  of 
Solomon  himself.  You  find  here  four  places  at  which  the  water 
rises.  From  these  separate  sources  it  is  conveyed  by  little 
rivulets  into  a  kind  of  basin,  and  from  thence  it  is  carried  by  a 
large  subterraneous  passage  down  to  the  pools.” 

This  passage  terminates  at  the  north-west  corner  of  the 
upper  pool,  in  a  sort  of  artificial  fountain.  From  this  fountain 
an  aqueduct  is  supplied  which  runs  along  the  sides  of  the  pools. 
It  communicates  with  the  upper  pool,  and  throws  the  surplus  in 
there  when  there  is  more  than  it  needs  itself.  It  also  communi¬ 
cates  with  the  lower  pool,  and  is  replenished  from  it  when  the 
supply  at  the  fountain  falls  short.  This  aqueduct  runs  on  past 
Bethlehem  and  thence  to  Jerusalem,  where  it  formerly  termi¬ 
nated  in  the  temple,  to  supply  the  water  needed  for  the  various 
washings  and  other  uses  of  those  who  conducted  the  worship  of 
the  sanctuary. 

The  ground  around  these  famous  pools  is  now  barren  and 
dreary.  But  it  was  here,  doubtless,  that  Solomon  had  his 
“  garden  enclosed,”  as  wrell  as  his  “  fountain  sealed.”  It  was 
on  the  neighboring  hills  and  in  the  valleys  near,  without  any 
question,  that  he  planted  the  vineyards,  and  made  the  gardens 
and  orchards  of  all  kinds  of  fruits,  and  made  pools  of  water,  to 
water  therewith  the  wood  that  brought  forth  trees,  of  which  he 
speaks  in  Eccles.  ii.  4,  6.  And  it  wras  to  this  spot,  in  the  beauty 
and  fertility  that  then  marked  it,  that  he  was  accustomed,  as 
Josephus  tells  us,  to  take  his  morning  drive.  But  the  luxuri¬ 
ance  and  fertility  on  which  the  eye  of  the  beholder  then  rested 
with  delight  have  all  disappeared.  And  of  the  great  works 
which  Solomon  in  all  his  glory  builded,  these  pools  that  bear 
his  name  are  all  that  remain. 

Hebron. — Here  is  a  view  of  one  of  the  most  interesting 
cities  in  Palestine.  Hebron,  the  city  thus  represented,  is  inte¬ 
resting  to  us  for  three  reasons.  One  of  these  is  its  great  age. 
It  is  one  of  the  oldest  towns  not  only  in  that  country,  but  in  the 


Hebron.  p  102 


IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


103 


world.  You  know  what  an  old  country  Egypt  is.  Yet  the 
Bible  tells  us  that  “  Hebron  was  built  seven  years  before  Zoar 
in  Egypt.”  But  nobody  knows  when  Zoar  was  built.  And  so 
we  only  know  that  this  city  of  Hebron,  about  which  we  read  so 
much  in  the  Bible,  is  so  old  that  no  one  can  tell  when  it  was 
built  or  who  was  the  builder. 

Everything  is  so  new  in  our  country,  that  we  seldom  see  a 
town  or  city  that  is  more  than  one  or  two  hundred  years  old. 
But  when  we  think  of  a  city  like  Hebron,  that  was  built  almost 
four  thousand  years  ago,  we  feel  that  it  must  be  interesting  to 
see  it,  just  on  account  of  its  great  age. 

But  another  reason  why  Hebron  is  an  interesting  place,  is  on 
account  of  its  great  beauty.  It  is  one  of  the  prettiest  towns  in 
Palestine.  It  is  very  pleasantly  situated  in  a  fertile  valley, 
surrounded  by  rocky  hills.  The  sides  of  these  hills  are  covered 
with  vineyards.  The  grapes  which  these  vineyards  yield  are 
the  finest  in  Palestine.  There  used  to  be  great  groves  of  oak 
trees  in  the  valley  of  Hebron.  These  must  have  added  very 
much  to  its  beauty.  But  now  they  are  nearly  all  gone. 

You  remember  that  when  Joshua  sent  men  to  spy  out  the 
land,  before  the  Israelites  went  into  it,  we  read  about  a  famous 
bunch  of  grapes  which  they  brought  back  with  them  as  a  speci¬ 
men  of  the  fruits  of  the  land.  It  was  so  large  that  two  men 
had  to  carry  it  between  them,  by  a  pole  that  rested  on  their 
shoulders.  That  bunch  of  grapes  came  from  Eshcol.  And 
Eshcol  was  in  the  valley  of  Ilebron.  How  beautiful  those 
grapes  must  have  looked  as  they  were  growing  there  !  And  so 
we  see  that  Hebron  has  always  been  remarkable  for  the  fer¬ 
tility  and  beauty  which  still  make  it  so  interesting  a  place 
to  visit. 

And  then  the  third  thing  which  makes  Hebron  interesting  is 
its  connection  with  the  history  of  the  Bible. 

This  was  the  home  of  the  good  old  patriarchs  that  we  read  so 
much  about  in  the  Old  Testament.  When  Abraham  came  into 
Canaan  he  lived  here.  We  arc  told  that  “  he  pitched  his  tent 
in  the  plain  of  Mamre,  which  is  in  Hebron.”  Here,  no  doubt, 


104 


ILLUSTRATED  RAMBLES 


he  often  sat  in  the  door  of  his  tent  and  watched  his  flocks 
of  sheep,  as  they  were  quietly  feeding  on  the  plains  and  over 
the  hills  of  Hebron.  Here  he  dwelt  when  the  news  was  brought 
him  that  the  cities  of  Sodom  had  been  plundered,  and  his 
nephew  Lot  had  been  carried  captive,  with  all  his  family. 
And  it  was  from  Hebron  that  he  set  out  with  his  little  band 
of  three  hundred  men  to  rescue  them  from  the  hands  of  their 
enemies,  as  we  read  in  the  14th  chapter  of  Genesis.  Here,  too, 
it  was  on  two  or  three  occasions  that  the  angels  of  God  came  to 
visit  him  and  tell  him  what  God  was  going  to  do. 

Here  it  was  that  Sarah  died  and  Abraham  bought  “  the  cave 
of  the  field  of  Machpelah  for  a  burying-place.”  There  Sarah 
was  buried,  and  Abraham,  too,  when  he  died. 

It  was  in  the  valley  of  Hebron  that  Isaac  lived  his  quiet  life. 
It  was  in  one  of  the  fields  of  Hebron  that  he  “  went  out  to 
meditate  at  eventide,”  when  his  father’-s  servant  brought  Ile- 
bekah  to  him,  who  became  his  wife. 

It  was  in  Hebron  that  Jacob  lived  after  he  came  back  from 
his  long  visit  to  his  uncle  Laban.  And  when  he  sent  his  dar¬ 
ling  son  Joseph  forth  to  see  his  brethren,  on  that  journey  from 
which  he  never  came  back,  it  was  from  “  the  vale  of  Hebron” 
that  Joseph  started. 

These  three  patriarchs,  Abraham,  Isaac  and  Jacob,  with  their 
wives,  Sarah,  Rebekah  and  Leah,  are  all  buried  in  the  cave  of 
Machpelah,  in  Hebron.  It  would  be  very  interesting  to  visit 
that  cave  and  look  at  the  graves  of  those  good  people.  But 
this  cannot  be  done.  For  the  Mahommedans  have  built  a 
great  mosque  or  church  over  this  cave.  This  mosque  is  con¬ 
sidered  very  sacred  by  them,  and  they  never  let  a  stranger 
enter  it. 

When  David  was  first  chosen  king,  on  the  death  of  Saul, 
he  made  Hebron  his  capital,  and  he  reigned  there  for  seven 
years. 

Hebron  has  a  population  of  about  seven  or  eight  thousand 
people.  The  houses  are  larger  and  better-looking  than  in  most 
of  the  other  towns  in  Palestine.  It  is  pleasant  to  think  of  it  as 


Abraham’s  Oak.  P.  105. 


IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


105 


the  home  of  the  patriarchs  and  as  the  place  where  they  are 
buried. 

Abraham’s  Oak. — The  view  here  given  is  not  as  interesting 
as  some  we  have  had  in  these  rambles.  But  still,  though  not 
in  itself  so  attractive  as  some  others,  it  has  a  good  deal  of  inte¬ 
rest  about  it,  because  it  is  connected  with  an  interesting  place, 
an  interesting  man,  and  an  interesting  history. 

We  have  spoken  about  Hebron,  that  ancient  city  in  the 
south  of  Palestine.  Well,  this  tree  stands  not  far  from  Hebron. 
It  is  about  two  miles  distant  from  it.  The  tree  represented  in 
our  engraving  is  a  fine  old  tree.  It  is  said  to  be  the  finest  oak 
tree  that  grows  in  Palestine.  The  trunk  at  its  lower  part  is 
about  twenty-three  feet  in  circumference.  If  it  were  cut  down 
and  sawed  up  into  boards  or  planks,  they  would  be  more 
than  seven  feet  wide.  These  would  make  good-sized  boards, 
indeed. 

About  six  feet  from  the  ground  the  trunk  branches  out  into 
three  great  arms.  These  afterwards  divide  themselves  into 
very  numerous  branches.  On  one  side  these  branches  run  out 
to  about  fifty  feet,  and  on  the  other  to  between  eighty  and 
ninety.  The  foliage  of  this  tree  is  very  thick  and  beautiful. 
This  famous  oak  stands  in  the  midst  of  a  fine,  wide,  grassy 
plain.  Not  far  off  from  it  is  a  good  spring  of  clear,  cool  water, 
and  parties  often  come  out  here  from  Hebron  on  pleasure 
excursions,  or  picnics,  as  we  should  call  them. 

But  the  chief  interest  about  this  tree  is  connected  with  the 
honored  name  it  bears.  It  is  called  “Abraham's  Oak.”  Of 
course  we  cannot  suppose  that  this  tree,  great  and  venerable  as 
it  appears,  has  really  been  standing  from  the  time  of  Abraham. 
That  good  old  patriarch  lived  about  eighteen  hundred  years 
before  the  time  of  our  Saviour.  And  if  we  add  to  these  the 
years  that  have  passed  away  since  the  birth  of  Christ,  we  see 
that  it  is  more  than  thirty-six  hundred  years  since  Abraham 
was  living  in  Palestine.  This  seems  like  a  pretty  good  age  for 
a  tree.  And  yet  we  know  that  some  trees  do  live  to  a  very 
wonderful  age. 


106 


ILLUSTRATED  RAMBLES 


The  oldest  tree  in  England  is  an  oak  tree.  It  is  called  “  The 
Parliament  Oak.”  This  name  was  given  to  it  because  King 
Edward  the  First  once  held  a  parliament  under  the  shadow  of 
this  tree.  It  is  six  hundred  years  since  Edward  the  First  lived. 
This  “  Parliament  Oak”  is  reckoned  to  he  fifteen  hundred  years 
old. 

One  of  our  big  trees  in  California  is  said  to  be  three  thousand 
years  old.  Among  the  cedars  of  Lebanon  is-  one  tree  that  is 
said  to  be  four  thousand  years  old !  If  this  is  really  its  age, 
then  this  grand  old  tree  must  have  begun  to  grow  soon  after 
Noah  came  oid  of  the  ark  ! 

But  if  the  oak  tree  seen  in  our  picture  is  not  the  very  same 
tree  that  stood  there  when  Abraham  was  alive,  it  is  no  doubt 
one  of  the  descendants  of  that  tree.  And  so  it  is  true  that  on 
the  very  ground  over  which  this  tree  now  spreads  its  great 
branches  Abraham  pitched  his  tent.  It  was  here  that  he  was 
sitting  one  day,  when  Jesus  came  to  him  in  the  form  of  a 
traveller,  and  two  angels  with  him  in  the  same  form,  as  we 
read  in  the  18th  chapter  of  Genesis.  They  stopped  and  dined 
with  Abraham,  and  talked  with  him  about  what  they  were 
going  to  do  to  the  cities  of  Sodom  and  Gomorrah  on  account 
of  the  wickedness  of  the  people  there. 

And  when  one  rests  under  the  shadow  of  this  grand  old  tree, 
it  is  pleasant  to  think  how  many  patriarchs  and  prophets  have 
stood  there.  All  that  you  see  there  now— the  same  fields, 
the  same  hills  and  the  same  mountains — have  been  seen 
by  Abraham,  Isaac  and  Jacob,  by  Samuel  and  David  and 
Solomon. 

We  find  a  great  deal  said  about  oak  trees  in  the  Bible. 
When  Jacob  found  out  that  some  of  his  family  were  wor¬ 
shipping  idols,  we  read  in  Gen.  xxxv.  4,  that  he  took  all  the 
images  of  these  gods,  and  the  ear-rings  which  the  women 
wore — because  these  had  the  names  or  marks  of  the  idols  on 
them — and  buried  them  under  an  oak  that  was  in  Shechem. 

When  Deborah,  the  nurse  of  Rebekah,  died,  they  buried  her 
under  an  oak  in  Bethel.  When  Joshua  made  a  covenant  with 


IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


107 


the  people  before  he  died,  we  read  (Joshua  xxiv.  26)  that  “he 
took  a  great  stone  and  set  it  up  under  an  oak  that  was  by  the 
sanctuary  of  the  Lord.”  That  stone  was  to  be  a  witness  to  the 
people  of  the  covenant  he  had  made  with  them. 

And  when  David’s  wicked  son  Absalom  had  rebelled  against 
his  father  and  had  gathered  an  army  to  fight  against  him,  his 
army  was  defeated  and  he  fled  away  from  the  battle.  In  2 
Samuel  xviii.  9,  we  read:  “And  Absalom  rode  upon  a  mule, 
and  the  mule  went  under  the  thick  boughs  of  a  great  oak,  and 
he  was  taken  up  between  the  heaven  and  the  earth ;  and  the 
mule  that  was  under  him  went  away.”  When  Joab,  the  cap¬ 
tain  of  David’s  army,  heard  of  this,  “  he  took  three  darts  in 
his  hand  and  thrust  them  through  the  heart  of  Absalom,  while 
he  was  yet  alive  in  the  midst  of  the  oak.” 


108 


ILLUSTRATED  RAMBLES 


CHAPTER  IX. 

FROM  JERUSALEM  TO  BETHEL — THE  LAST  LOOK  AT  JERUSALEM — • 
THE  MEETING-PLACE  OF  DAVID  AND  JONATHAN — THE  CITY 
OF  NOB — GIBEAH  OF  SAUL — THE  SCENE  OF  RIZPAH’S  DEVO¬ 
TION — RAMAB— SHILOH — BETHEL. 

We  had  finished  our  explorations  in  and  around  Jerusalem, 
and  were  prepared  to  start  northward  on  our  journey  through 
the  land.  The  country  through  which  this  part  of  our  route 
lay  is  not  particularly  attractive  in  its  physical  features.  The 
whole  aspect  of  it  is  rocky  and  barren  and  desolate.  And  yet 
it  is  so  full  of  points  connected  with  the  Old  Testament  history, 
that  every  step  becomes  interesting  from  the  Bible  associations 
that  cluster  around  it.  I  will  attempt  nothing  more  than  to 
speak  of  some  of  the  points  of  special  interest  which  the  traveller 
passes  by  in  his  journey  from  Jerusalem  to  Bethel. 

The  Last  Look  at  Jerusalem. — Soon  after  leaving  Jeru¬ 
salem  the  road  passes  for  a  short  distance  along  the  bank  of  the 
Kedron.  It  then  crosses  the  valley  and  winds  up  the  hill 
Scopus.  This  is  the  last  point  from  which  to  get  a  look  at  the 
Holy  City. 

Here  we  turned  and  lingered  awhile  to  gaze  on  the  hallowed 
spot.  How  stirring  the  thoughts  that  are  suggested  by  con¬ 
templation  there !  Earth  has  no  other  scene  that  can  call  up 
such  associations  and  exercise  such  a  spell  upon  the  mind  as  that 
does.  All  the  wondrous  things  that  have  transpired  in  the  past, 
and  all  “  the  glorious  things”  written  for  the  future,  concerning 
that  “  city  of  our  God,”  present  themselves  at  once  to  view. 

But  we  had  not  long  to  indulge  in  meditation.  Our  caval¬ 
cade  was  moving  on.  The  last  lingering  look  was  taken,  and 
we  were  moving  forward  with  our  company.  But  though 
Jerusalem  was  left  behind,  there  was  no  lack  of  holy  places  and 
localities  full  of  interest  all  before  us. 

Tiie  Meeting-Place  of  David  and  Jonathan. — The  first 
part  of  our  road  lay  near  the  scene  of  the  affecting  interview 


IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


109 


between  David  and  Jonathan,  described  in  the  20th  chapter 
of  1  Samuel.  There  they  made  their  covenant  with  each  other 
and  exchanged  their  solemn  vow  of  enduring  friendship,  and 
there  the  loving,  faithful  friends  separated  from  each  other  to 
meet  again  no  more  on  earth,  except  for  one  brief  stolen  in¬ 
terview  in  the  wood  of  Ziph,  as  we  read  in  1  Samuel  xxiii. 
15-19. 

The  City  op  Nob.— After  this  we  passed  by  the  site  of  Nob, 
one  of  the  cities  of  the  Levites,  where  Aliimelech  the  priest 
lived  to  whom  David  applied  for  bread  as  he  fled  from  the  face 
of  Saul.  David  prevaricated  to  Aliimelech  when  he  told  him 
that  the  haste  with  which  he  was  going  on  the  king’s  business 
had  caused  him  to  leave  without  either  provisions  or  arms,  and 
the  priest  gave  him  of  the  shew  bread,  and  the  sword  of  Go¬ 
liath,  which  was  laid  up  before  the  ark  as  a  trophy.  Doeg,  the 
Edomite,  who  was  there,  reported  it  to  Saul,  and  this  act 
resulted  in  the  slaughter  of  Aliimelech  and  all  his  family,  and 
all  the  priests  of  Nob.  How  sadly  David  must  have  felt  when 
he  found  that  his  want  of  straightforward,  honest  truthfulness 
had  resulted  in  such  a  scene  of  blood !  And  yet  in  permitting 
that  terrible  calamity  to  take  place,  God  was  only  employing 
the  sword  of  Saul  to  execute  on  the  descendants  of  old  Eli  the 
judgment  denounced  against  him  for  his  sad  failure  of  parental 
duty,  in  allowing  Iris  sons  to  groiv  up  in  disobedience  to  him¬ 
self  and  to  God.  How  instructive  and  suggestive  an  illustration 
of  the  working  of  God’s  providence  this  incident  furnishes ! 
And  how  many  profitable  lessons  it  affords  to  parents,  to 
teachers  and  to  children !  We  have  the  account  of  the  judg¬ 
ments  recorded  against  the  house  of  Eli  in  1  Sam.  ii.  27-36 ; 
iii.  11-14.  The  sad  fulfillment  of  the  same  we  read  of  in  1  Sam. 
xxii.  9-23. 

Gibeah  of  Saul. — Our  road  also  lay  by  Gibeah,  where  Saul 
had  his  head-quarters  at  one  period  of  his  reign.  It  was  also 
memorable  as  the  scene  of  the  sad  event  narrated  in  the  19th 
chapter  of  Judges,  and  which  almost  led  to  the  extinction  of  the 
tribe  of  Benjamin. 


110 


ILLUSTRATED  RAMBLES 


The  Scene  of  Rizpah’s  Devotion. — It  was  here,  too,  that 
Rizpah  made  the  rocks  of  Gibeali  classic  ground,  by  the  noble 
display  of  her  true  motherly  feeling  for  her  slaughtered  sons. 
God  is  a  covenant-keeping  God  himself,  and  He  requires  his 
people  to  be  mindful  of  their  oaths  and  covenants.  Saul  sought 
to  put  the  Gibeonites  to  death  in  utter  disregard  of  the  covenant 
which  Joshua  had  made  with  them,  in  behalf  of  Israel,  to  let 
them  live.  For  this  act  of  treachery  God  sent  a  famine  on  the 
land  in  the  days  of  David,  and  before  this  famine  ceased,  the 
slaughter  of  seven  of  Saul’s  sons  was  demanded  to  vindicate  the 
sacredness  of  the  covenant  which  he  had  broken.  Among  them 
were  two  of  Rizpah’s  sons.  We  read  (2  Sam.  xxi.  9,  10)  “  that 
they  were  put  to  death  in  the  days  of  harvest.  And  Rizpah 
took  sackcloth  and  spread  it  for  her  upon  the  rock,  from  the 
beginning  of  harvest  until  the  water  dropped  upon  them  out 
of  heaven,  and  suffered  neither  the  birds  of  the  air  to  rest  on 
them  by  day  nor  the  beasts  of  the  field  by  night.”  And  thus 
the  faithfulness  of  Rizpah’s  maternal  feeling  has  consecrated 
and  made  memorable  “  the  rock  of  Gibeali.” 

Ramah. — Ramah  of  Benjamin  was  the  next  point.  This  is 
celebrated  in  sacred  history  in  connection  with  Deborah  the 
prophetess,  the  wife  of  Lapidoth,  who  judged  Israel  after  Ehud 
was  dead.  We  read  (Judges  iv.  5)  :  “  And  she  dwelt  under  the 
palm  tree  of  Deborah,  between  Ramah  and  Bethel.”  Here  it 
was  “  she  sent  and  called  Barak  the  son  of  Abinoam,”  and  bade 
him  “  draw  toward  Mount  Tabor  ten  thousand  men  of  the 
children  of  Naphtali,  and  the  children  of  Zebulun.”  And  thus 
from  “  the  palm  tree  of  Deborah”  went  forth  the  influence 
which  led  to  one  of  the  most  brilliant  victories  in  Israel’s 
glorious  history — a  victory  which  shattered  the  power  of  Jabin, 
king  of  Canaan,  and  gave  to  the  oppressed  and  suffering  land 
rest  and  freedom  for  forty  years. 

Shiloh. — There  is  only  one  other  place  I  will  refer  to  in 
connection  with  our  first  day’s  journey,  and  that  is  Shiloh, 
where  the  tabernacle  was  first  established  on  Israel’s  entrance 
into  Canaan.  This  interesting  spot  lies  about  half  an  hour’s 


— — 


Shiloh. 


IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


Ill 


ride  to  the  right  of  the  road  along  which  our  route  lay.  There 
is  no  ruin  or  trace  of  former  buildings  to  mark  the  locality.  It 
is  a  scene  of  utter  desolation.  And  yet  so  accurately  is  the 
position  of  it  described  in  Judges  xxi.  19,  that  there  never  has 
been  any  difficulty  in  determining  exactly  where  it  stood. 
There  Shiloh  is  spoken  of  as  “  a  place  which  is  on  the  north 
side  of  Bethel,  on  the  east  side  of  the  highway  that  goeth  up 
from  Bethel  to  Shechem,  and  on  the  south  of  Lebonah.” 

Here  it  was  that  Hannah  prayed  for  Samuel.  And  when 
her  prayer  was  granted,  it  was  here  she  brought  the  child  of  her 
prayers  and  consecrated  him  to  the  service  of  God ;  and  here, 
as  we  read  in  1  Sam.  ii.  18,  it  was  that  “  Samuel  ministered 
before  the  Lord,  being  a  child,  girded  with  a  linen  ephod.”  It 
was  here  that 

“  little  .Samuel  woke 
And  heard  his  Maker’s  voice.” 

Here  he  first  received  the  message  of  God  and  was  established 
as  a  prophet  of  the  Lord,  and  judged  Israel  with  honor  to 
himself  and  glory  to  God,  and  with  blessing  to  the  people  all 
his  days. 

After  the  ark  came  back  from  its  captivity  among  the  Philis¬ 
tines  it  never  returned  to  Shiloh.  The  people  of  that  place  did 
not  appreciate  the  privilege  they  possessed  in  its  presence 
among  them.  For  this,  God  took  away  the  blessing  and  let 
desolation’s  blight  come  down  upon  them.  And  in  after  times 
we  find  God  making  use  of  the  experience  through  which  this 
place  had  passed  to  impress  upon  the  minds  of  his  people  the 
danger  of  despising  the  religious  privileges  with  which  they 
wrere  favored.  He  says  to  Israel  by  the  prophet  Jeremiah 
(vii.  12),  “Go  ye  now  unto  my  place  which  was  at  Shiloh, 
where  I  set  my  name  at  the  first,  and  see  what  I  did  to  it  for 
the  wickedness  of  my  people  Israel.” 

And  the  lesson  thus  taught  is  for  us  as  well  as  for  Israel. 
Shiloh  teaches  this  lesson  to  every  traveller  who  pauses  to  muse 
on  the  desolation  that  now  marks  it.  In  silent  but  eloquent 
tones  it  seems  to  say,  “ Improve  your  privileges  while  you  have 


112 


ILL  USTRA  TED  RAMBLES 


them ,  lest  they  he  taken  away  from  you;”  or  as  the  prophet 
expresses  the  same  idea  in  different  language,  “  Give  glory  to 
the  Lord  your  God,  before  he  cause  darkness.” 

Bethel. — On  the  evening  of  the  first  day  of  our  journey 
north  from  Jerusalem,  we  pitched  our  tents  for  the  night  in  the 
fields  that  surround  the  little  village  of  Bethel.  The  day  had 
been  a  charming  one,  and  the  scenes  through  which  we  had 
journeyed  at  every  step  replete  with  sacred  and  stirring  asso¬ 
ciations.  And  then,  at  the  close  of  such  a  day,  what  a  spot 
Bethel  was  in  which  to  tarry  for  the  night ! 

It  is  situated  about  twelve  miles  north  from  Jerusalem,  on 
the  road  that  leads  to  Shechem.  The  present  village  is  a 
miserable  collection  of  squalid-looking  houses,  built  from  the 
ruins  of  the  former  city.  These  ruins  are  spread  over  quite  a 
large  surface.  The  village  stands  on  the  side  of  a  hill,  the 
summit  of  which  commands  an  interesting  and  extensive 
prospect.  The  dome  of  the  Mosque  of  Omar  at  Jerusalem 
may  be  seen  from  it.  The  country  around  is  rocky,  and,  in  its 
outward  aspect,  not  very  attractive ;  but  there  are  so  many 
associations  of  Bible  history  connected  with  it,  that  it  cannot 
fail  to  be  deeply  interesting  to  the  Christian  traveller. 

It  was  here  that  Abraham  is  said  to  have  “  pitched  his  tent,” 
as  he  “journeyed  through  the  land,”  “going  on  still  toward  the 
south.”  And  after  his  sojourn  in  Egypt  it  was  to  Bethel  that 
he  returned.  And  it  was  on  the  hill  near  Bethel  that  Abraham 
and  Lot  stood  to  take  a  wide  survey  of  the  country,  “  on  the 
right  hand  and  on  the  left,”  when  they  were  meditating  a 
separation  for  each  other  because  of  the  perpetually-recurring 
strife  between  their  respective  herdsmen.  There  is  no  other 
spot  in  all  this  region  which  affords  so  fine  a  view.  It  was  here 
that  “  Lot  lifted  up  his  eyes”  toward  the  right,  “and  beheld  all 
the  plain  of  Jordan,  that  it  was  well  watered  everywhere  .  .  . 
even  as  the  garden  of  the  Lord,  like  unto  Egypt.”  That  land 
was  very  different  then  from  what  it  is  now.  No  crust  of  salt 
had  covered  the  earth,  and  no  volcanic  convulsion  had  as  yet 
blasted  its  verdure  or  marred  its  beauty.  Then  Lot  made 


IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


113 


choice  of  Sodom  as  the  place  of  his  future  nome,  and  took  his 
departure  from  Abraham. 

And  after  Lot  had  separated  from  him,  it  was  here  that  God 
appeared  to  Abraham  and  said  to  him :  “  Lift  up  now  thine 
eyes,  and  look  from  the  place  where  thou  art  northward,  and 
southward,  and  eastward,  and  westward :  for  all  the  land  which 
thou  seest,  to  thee  will  I  give  it,  and  to  thy  seed  forever. 
Arise,  walk  through  the  land  in  the  length  of  it  and  in  the 
breadth  of  it ;  for  I  will  give  it  unto  thee.”  What  a  charm  the 
recollection  of  such  a  scene  throws  around  Bethel  and  its 
neighborhood ! 

The  next  interesting  scene  associated  with  this  sacred  spot  is 
connected  with  the  history  of  Jacob.  He  had  provoked  the 
anger  of  his  brother  Esau  against  him  by  taking  away  his 
blessing.  This  obliged  him  to  flee  from  Hebron  to  his  uncle 
Laban  in  Padan-aram.  It  was  a  long  journey  to  take.  In 
pursuing  this  journey,  Bethel  was  “  the  certain  place  on  which 
Jacob  lighted,  and  where  he  tarried  all  night,  because  the  sun 
was  set ;  and  he  took  of  the  stones  of  that  place  and  put  them 
for  his  pillow,  and  lay  down  in  that  place  to  sleep.” 

After  our  tents  were  pitched,  I  took  my  Bible  and  wandered 
forth  into  the  field.  I  sat  down  beneath  the  shelter  of  a  great 
rock  and  read  the  28th  chapter  of  Genesis.  I  looked  over  the 
outspread  field.  It  was  full  of  rocks  and  stones  ;  Jacob  did  not 
have  to  go  far  to  find  his  pillow.  And  here  it  was,  perhaps 
near  where  I  sat,  that  the  youthful  traveller  had  that  wondrous 
vision  of  the  ladder  with  its  foot  upon  the  earth  and  its  top 
reaching  to  heaven,  with  the  angels  of  God  ascending  and 
descending  upon  it.  Here,  too,  the  voice  of  God  was  addressed 
to  him,  renewing  the  covenant  before  made  with  Abraham,  and 
giving  him  that  sweet  promise,  so  suited  to  his  wants  as  a 
lonely  traveller :  “  Behold  I  will  be  with  thee,  and  will  keep 
thee  in  all  places  whither  thou  goest,  and  will  bring  thee  to 
this  land  again;  for  I  will  not  leave  thee  till  I  have  done  that 
which  I  have  spoken  to  thee  of.”  What  a  comfort  this  promise 
must  have  been  to  Jacob !  How  it.  must  have  been  to  him  like 
8 


114 


ILLUSTRATED  RAMBLES 


the  food  which  the  angel  brought  to  Elijah,  “in  the  strength  of 
which  he  went  for  many  days  !” 

We  do  not  wonder  at  the  feeling  with  which  Jacob  awoke  in 
the  morning,  when  he  said :  “  Surely  the  Lord  is  in  this  place, 
and  I  knew  it  not.  This  is  none  other  than  the  house  of  God, 
and  this  is  the  gate  of  heaven.”  And  thus  it  was  that  Bethel 
got  its  name — “  the  house  of  God.”  The  remembrance  of  such 
a  scene  as  this  must  make  Bethel  and  its  neighborhood  a 
hallowed  spot  forever. 

It  was  to  Bethel  that  Jacob  came  later  in  life.  Here  he  built 
an  altar  to  the  God  who  gave  him  this  cheering  vision. 

It  was  at  Bethel,  after  the  kingdom  was  divided,  that  Jero¬ 
boam  set  up  a  golden  calf,  and  made  it  one  of  the  centres  of 
worship  in  his  kingdom,  to  prevent  the  people  of  Israel  from 
going  up  to  Jerusalem  to  worship.  And  it  was  here,  on  some 
great  occasion  of  public  gathering,  that  “  a  man  of  God  from 
Judah”  came  to  proclaim  God’s  wrath  against  this  idolatrous 
service,  when  the  miracle  took  place  of  the  rending  of  the  altar 
and  the  withering  and  restoring  of  the  king’s  hand,  as  we  read 
in  1  Kings  xiii.  1-11. 

It  was  to  Bethel  that  Elisha  came  after  Elijah  had  been 
taken  from  him  into  heaven.  And  here  the  children  coming 
out  to  mock  him  were  destroyed  by  the  two  bears  that  issued 
forth  from  the  woods.  This  seems  to  show  what  the  influence 
of  idolatry  had  been  in  lowering  the  standard  of  morals  among 
the  people.  After  this  the  desolation  foretold  by  Amos  and 
Hosea  seems  to  have  clung  to  it,  and  Beth-el — “  the  house  of 
God,”  became  literally  Beth-aven — “  the  house  of  nought.” 


IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


115 


CHAPTER  X. 

FROM  BETHEL  TO  JENIN  —  MEETING  A  HAIL-STORM  —  JACOB’S 
WELL — NABLUS  AND  MOUNT  GERIZIM — SAMARIA — DOTHAN — 
JENIN. 

We  left  Bethel  in  the  morning  and  took  an  early  start,  as  we 
had  a  long  day’s  ride  before  us.  Our  journey  lay  through  the 
portion  allotted  to  the  tribe  of  Ephraim.  It  is  the  richest  land 
we  had  seen  since  leaving  the  fertile  plains  around  Jaffa.  The 
luxuriant  valleys  and  plains  of  this  tribe,  with  hills  bearing 
evidence  of  having  been  terraced  to  their  very  summits,  show 
conclusively  that  the  blessing  promised  by  the  dying  patriarch 
to  the  descendants  of  his  favorite  son  Joseph  still  lingers  here, 
for  the  “  chief  things  of  these  ancient  mountains” — vines,  olives, 
corn— yet  flourish  abundantly  amidst  “these  lasting  hills.” 
Jacob  knew  what  he  was  about  when,  “guiding  his  hands 
wittingly,”  he  laid  his  right  hand  on  the  head  of  Joseph’s 
youngest  son,  as  he  said,  “  in  thee  shall  Israel  bless,  saying, 
God  make  thee  as  Ephraim.” 

We  had  a  most  unexpected  experience  in  regard  to  weather. 
The  early  morning  was  fine,  though  with  heavy  clouds  floating 
through  the  sky.  Shortly  after  starting,  however,  it  began  to 
rain,  and  this  continued  at  intervals  all  through  the  day.  The 
rain  poured  down  at  times  in  torrents,  accompanied  by  furious 
bursts  of  wind  that  seemed  as  if  it  would  almost  take  us  off  our 
horses.  It  was  varied  occasionally  by  fierce  blasts  of  pelting 
hail,  that  would  spread  a  white  covering  over  the  landscape  in 
a  few  seconds.  We  had  our  water-proof  appliances  on,  and  so 
managed  to  keep  pretty  dry.  In  any  other  country  we  should 
have  sought  the  shelter  of  some  friendly  house  by  the  roadside, 
and  have  waited  till  the  storm  was  over.  But  there  are  no  such 
houses  in  Palestine.  The  few  inhabitants  found  in  this  land 
dwell  only  in  walled  towns  or  villages,  where  their  numbers 
may  afford  them  mutual  protection.  But  in  journeying  through 
this  country,  from  one  end  to  the  other,  you  find  no  scattered 


116 


ILLUSTRATED  RAMBLES 


dwellings,  no  house,  no  cottage,  no  barn,  no  shed  nor  building 
of  any  kind  to  offer  the  traveller  “  a  refuge  from  the  storm.” 
The  cause  of  this  is  found  in  the  insecurity  of  life  and  property, 
arising  from  the  incursions  of  the  wild  and  wandering  Arab 
tribes,  and  the  inefficiency  of  the  government  to  hold  them  in 
proper  check. 

And  so,  notwithstanding  the  inclemency  of  the  weather,  there 
was  nothing  left  us  but  to  go  on  and  make  the  best  of  it.  It 
was  amusing,  when  the  blasts  of  hail  came  down,  to  see  how 
our  horses  would  instantly  wheel  round  and  turn  their  tails  to 
it,  and  stand  still  in  that  position  till  the  storm  was  passed. 
The  day  was  relieved  by  occasional  bursts  of  sunshine.  These, 
however,  were  of  short  continuance,  and  soon  gave  way  to 
returning  showers  of  rain. 

Towards  noon,  during  one  of  these  brief  gleams  of  sunshine, 
we  halted  near  the  ruins  of  an  old  well  to  take  our  lunch.  We 
had  just  unrolled  a  rug  upon  the  grass,  on  which  to  spread  our 
provisions,  when  down  came  the  rain  again,  and  we  were  obliged 
to  take  our  lunch  as  best  we  could  under  such  imperfect  shelter 
as  our  sun-umbrellas  would  afford. 

While  we  were  at  lunch,  several  modern  Rachels  from  a 
neighboring  village  came  to  the  well  to  fill  their  water-skins. 
They  lingered  about  till  our  repast  was  finished,  and  then 
eagerly  gathered  up  the  orange-skins  and  chicken-bones  and 
other  cast-off  remnants  of  our  meal.  What  a  comment  this 
incident  affords  on  the  condition  of  the  present  inhabitants  of  a 
land  whose  distinctive  peculiarity  once  was  that  “  it  flowed  with 
milk  and  honey !”  How  different  the  state  of  things  there  now 
from  what  ouce  existed,  when  it  was  said  of  the  people  dwelling 
there,  “  Thou  shalt  not  lack  any  thing  in  it.”  Dent.  viii.  9. 

Our  ride  was  ten  hours  long,  and  the  storm  renewed  itself  at 
intervals  all  through  the  day.  The  terminus  to  which  we  were 
looking  forward  was  the  ancient  city  of  Sychar  or  Shechem. 
The  modern  name  of  the  city  is  Nablus.  On  nearing  the  city 
we  turned  aside  a  little  to  visit  “  Jacob’s  well,”  where  “  Jesus 
sat,  weary”  with  his  journey,  while  He  had  that  gracious  and 


Jacob’s  Well. 


IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


117 


blessed  interview  with  the  woman  of  Samaria,  as  we  read  in  the 
4th  chapter  of  John. 

In  visiting  some  places  in  the  Holy  Land,  you  cannot  be  sure 
that  they  are  the  very  places  that  we  read  about  in  the  Bible. 
But  this  is  not  the  case  with  Jacob’s  Well.  There  can  be  no 
doubt  that  this  is  the  very  well  which  was  dug  in  the  days  when 
Jacob  was  living  there. 

There  are  several  things  which  make  a  visit  to  this  well  very 
interesting. 

One  of  these  is  the  great  age  of  the  well.  Jacob  lived  almost 
as  many  years  before  the  coming  of  our  Saviour  as  have  passed 
away  since  the  time  when  He  came.  It  was  about  eighteen 
hundred  years  before  the  birth  of  Christ  when  Jacob  dug  this 
well.  And  if  we  add  those  years  to  the  1874  which  mark  the 
time  that  has  passed  since  Jesus  came,  we  have  thirty-six 
hundred  and  seventy-four,  or  nearly  four  thousand  years,  as 
marking  the  age  of  this  well.  How  strange  it  seems  to  look 
upon  anything  that  man  has  made  that  is  as  old  as  this ! 
What  wonderful  things  have  taken  place,  both  in  that  land 
and  in  other  lands,  since  first  this  well  Avas  dug !  Every  page 
in  our  blessed  Bible  has  been  written  since  then.  All  the  most 
interesting  stories  that  we  read  about  in  the  Bible  took  place 
after  the  digging  of  this  well.  Joseph’s  Avonderful  history ;  the 
deliverance  of  the  children  of  Israel  from  Egypt ;  their  AA’an- 
derings  in  the  wilderness  and  their  conquest  of  the  land,  have 
all  occurred  since  then.  Samuel  and  David  and  Solomon,  and 
nearly  all  the  other  good  men  mentioned  in  the  Bible,  have 
lived  and  died  since  Jacob  dug  this  well.  And  Avhen  one  sits 
doAvn  beside  this  Avell  and  thinks  of  all  these  things  which  have 
happened  since  it  was  dug,  how  very  strange  it  seems ! 

And  then  this  Avell  is  interesting  in  itself,  apart  from  its  age. 
It  is  about  seventy-five  feet  deep  doAvn  to  the  water  when  there 
is  any  in  it,  for  sometimes  it  is  dry.  It  has  been  dug  through 
the  solid  rock.  IToav  much  time  and  labor  it  must  have  taken  to 
make  this  well !  We  hardly  know  how  it  was  made.  When 
Ave  have  to  dig  a  Avell  through  the  solid  rock  now,  we  drill  holes 


118 


ILLUSTRATED  RAMBLES 


in  the  rock  and  put  powder  in  the  holes,  and  blast  the  rock. 
This  breaks  it  into  pieces,  and  makes  it  easy  to  get  the  rock 
out.  But  Jacob  had  no  powder  to  use ;  and  we  wonder  how  he 
was  able  to  dig  through  the  rock.  But  he  did  it,  somehow  or 
other.  And  it  was  well  done,  too.  It  is  about  nine  feet  wide, 
and  the  sides  of  the  well  have  been  finished  off  quite  smoothly. 
The  top  of  the  well  is  arched  over  and  has  a  round  opening  in 
it,  very  much  like  the  openings  to  our  coal  vaults  in  the  pave¬ 
ments  in  front  of  our  houses.  There  is  nothing  to  mark  the 
spot  now  but  some  broken  columns  and  big  stones.  There  used 
to  be  a  small  chapel  standing  over  this  well  a  long  time  ago, 
but  it  is  all  gone  now. 

Another  interesting  thing  about  this  well  is  to  think  that 
the  patriarch  Jacob  and  his  family  and  his  cattle  drank  of  its 
water.  I  dare  say  that  Joseph — when  he  was  a  boy,  before  he 
was  sold  into  Egypt — often  came  to  this  well  when  he  was  tired 
with  play,  and  felt  thirsty  from  the  heat  of  the  day,  and  re¬ 
freshed  himself  with  long  draughts  of  its  clear,  cool  water.  And 
Joseph  is  buried  not  far  from  this  well.  We  read  in  John  iv.  5, 
that  it  is  “  near  to  the  parcel  of  ground  that  Jacob  gave  to  his 
son  Joseph.”  When  the  children  of  Israel  came  up  out  of 
Egypt,  we  are  told  that  they  brought  up  the  bones  of  Joseph 
with  them,  and  they  buried  those  bones  in  this  parcel  of  ground. 
Josh.  xxiv.  32.  There  is  a  square  enclosure  on  this  spot, 
with  a  white  wall  around  it.  Inside  of  this  wall  is  a  tomb  to 
the  memory  of  Joseph.  You  can  see  this  as  you  stand  by  the 
well,  and  this  adds  to  the  interest  of  the  spot. 

But,  after  all,  the  most  pleasing  thing  to  think  of  in  visiting 
this  well  is  the  connection  of  Jesus  with  it.  I  refer  now  to  the 
beautiful  story  that  we  read  of  in  the  4th  chapter  of  John.  On 
one  occasion  when  Jesus  was  going  up  on  foot  from  Galilee  to 
Jerusalem,  He  was  weary  with  his  journey,  and  sat  down  here 
to  rest  himself,  while  His  disciples  went  into  the  city  near  by  to 
buy  food.  As  He  was  resting  here,  a  Samaritan  woman  came 
to  draw  water  from  this  well.  This  woman  was  leading  a 
wicked  life.  Jesus  felt  pity  for  her.  He  wanted  to  draw  her 


Nablus  and  Mount  Gerizim. 


IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


119 


into  conversation,  and  so  He  asked  her  for  a  drink  of  water. 
She  expressed  her  surprise  at  this,  because  the  Jews  and  the  Sa¬ 
maritans  disliked  each  other  so  much  that  they  had  no  dealings 
with  one  another.  But  Jesus  told  her  that  He  had  “  living 
water”  to  give  to  thirsty  souls,  and  that  those  who  drank  of  this 
water  would  feel  so  happy  that  they  would  never  thirst  for 
earthly  things  or  care  about  them  any  more.  This  woman 
became  very  much  interested  in  what  Jesus  said.  It  led  her  to 
see  that  she  was  a  sinner,  and  no  doubt  she  became  a  Christian. 
This  must  have  made  her  always  feel  a  great  interest  in  Jacob’s 
well.  I  suppose  she  never  forgot  the  day  when  she  met  that 
stranger  there  who  talked  so  beautifully  to  her  about  that 
“  living  water.” 

We  reached  Shechem  at  the  close  of  the  day,  wet,  weary  and 
chilled  with  the  cold  after  our  long  ride.  The  idea  of  camping 
on  the  wet  ground,  with  our  baggage  all  wet,  had  not  been  a 
very  cheering  one  during  the  latter  part  of  the  day.  To  our 
very  great  relief  our  dragoman,  Ali  Solymon,  had  gone  on 
ahead  and  secured  quarters  for  us  at  the  house  of  a  friend  of  his 
in  the  city.  And  we  found  ourselves,  at  the  close  of  the  day, 
snugly  quartered  with  a  Samaritan  family,  and  realizing  the 
unspeakable  comfort  of  having  a  dry  roof  over  our  heads  and  a 
dry  floor  beneath  us,  as  the  storm  was  still  raging,  with  alternate 
hail  and  rain,  mingled  with  thunder  and  lightning  and  furious 
blasts  of  wind.  And  so  ended  a  memorable  day  in  our  wan¬ 
derings  through  the  Holy  Land. 

Nablus  and  Mount  Gerizim. — The  storm  continued  for 
the  next  two  days.  We  were  therefore  compelled  to  remain 
longer  than  we  either  expected  or  desired  to  do  in  the  hospitable 
dwelling  of  our  Samaritan  friends.  During  the  first  of  these 
two  days  the  storm  raged  so  violently  as  to  preclude  the 
possibility  of  any  out-door  occupations.  Hearing  that  our 
good  friend  Dr.  March,  with  his  party,  was  storm-stayed  like 
ourselves,  and  had  sought  shelter  in  a  neighboring  house,  we 
sent  the  doctor  an  invitation  to  dine  with  us,  which  he 
accepted,  and  we  had  a  pleasant  time  together,  comparing 


120 


ILLUSTRATED  RAMBLES 


notes  of  our  past  experiences  and  talking  over  our  plans  and 
prospects  for  the  future. 

By  noon  of  the  second  day  the  storm  ceased  and  the  sun 
came  out  pleasantly.  It  was  too  late,  however,  to  start  on  our 
journey,  as  it  would  have  been  impossible  to  reach  the  next 
regular  stopping-place  before  dark.  We  concluded,  therefore, 
to  spend  the  afternoon  in  taking  a  general  survey  of  this  ancient 
city  and  in  making  the  ascent  of  Mount  Gerizim. 

Nablus  is  delightfully  situated.  It  lies  in  the  beautiful  valley 
that  runs  between  Mounts  Ebal  and  Gerizim.  This  is  a  re¬ 
markably  fertile  valley,  sparkling  with  fountains  and  streams 
of  water.  It  is  filled  with  the  richest  vegetation  and  foliage, 
arising  from  its  luxuriant  corn-fields,  its  orchards  of  fruit  trees 
and  belts  of  olives.  Every  color  is  here  seen,  from  the  deepest 
green  to  the  softest  gray  and  most  delicate  russet,  all  har¬ 
moniously  blended,  and  melting  in  the  distance  into  the  purple 
and  azure  tints  of  the  mountain  sides  and  summits. 

Nablus  is  a  curious  old  place.  The  city  of  Shechem,  which 
is  supposed  to  have  occupied  the  same  site,  runs  back  in  its 
history  over  a  period  of  four  thousand  years.  During  the  reign 
of  the  Emperor  Vespasian,  Shechem  was  rebuilt,  and  named 
Neapolis,  or  the  New  City,  and  this  appellation  has  run  into 
the  Arabic  Nabulus  or  Nablus,  the  modern  name  which  the 
city  bears. 

The  streets  of  the  city  are  narrow  and  vaulted  over,  and  in 
the  rainy  season  it  is  difficult  to  pass  along  many  of  them  on 
account  of  the  streams  of  water  which  rush  over  the  pavement 
with  a  deafening  roar.  The  houses  are  of  stone,  resembling  in 
style  and  general  appearance  those  of  Jerusalem.  The  city  in 
its  general  aspect  strikes  one  as  more  remarkable  for  its  gloom 
and  filth  than  any  other  in  Palestine.  Soap,  indeed,  is  one  of 
the  staple  productions  of  the  place,  but  then  this  is  made  for 
exportation  and  not  for  home  use. 

The  population  of  Nablus  is  about  8000.  Of  these  500  are 
Christians,  150  Samaritans  and  100  Jews.  The  little  handful 
of  Samaritans  left  still  retain  a  synagogue,  in  which  their 


IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


121 


famous  copy  of  the  Samaritan  Pentateuch  is  preserved  with 
great  care.  They  claim  that  it  was  written  by  Abishua,  the  son 
of  Phinehas,  three  thousand  five  hundred  years  ago.  It  is  no 
doubt  as  old  as  any  of  our  Hebrew  MSS.,  and  perhaps  older. 
Those  who  have  had  an  opportunity  of  examining  it  critically 
are  of  the  opinion,  judging  from  the  vellum  and  the  character 
of  the  writing,  that  it  may  at  least  be  assigned  to  the  sixth  or 
seventh  century  of  our  era. 

We  enjoyed  our  excursion  to  the  top  of  Mount  Gerizim  very 
much.  The  summit  is  about  eight  hundred  feet  above  the  level 
of  the  valley  in  which  the  city  stands.  This  is  not  very  much 
of  an  ascent  to  make,  but  as  the  road  was  rough  and  very  wet 
from  the  recent  rains  we  went  up  on  horseback. 

On  rising  above  the  city  the  view  of  the  valley  is  very  fine. 
While  climbing  up  the  mount,  I  paused  from  time  to  time  to 
look  back  and  try  to  picture  to  myself  the  wondrous  scene,  that 
was  once  presented  here,  when  all  Israel  was  gathered  on  the 
sides  of  these  twin  mountains.  Near  the  eastern  end  the  valley 
is  not  more  than  sixty  rods  wide  ;  and  just  there  I  suppose  the 
assembled  tribes  were  convened  to  hear  “  the  blessings  and  the 
curses”  read  by  the  Levites.  These  are  given  in  full  detail  in 
the  27th  and  28th  chapters  of  Deuteronomy.  Joshua  tells  us 
in  the  7th  chapter  that  this  was  actually  done,  and  how  the 
command  of  God  was  carried  out.  Simeon  and  Levi,  and  Judah, 
and  Issachar,  and  Joseph,  and  Benjamin,  stood  on  Mount  Ge¬ 
rizim  ;  and  Reuben,  Gad,  Asher,  Zebulon,  Dan  and  Naphtali 
on  Mount  Ebal ;  while  all  Israel,  and  their  elders  and  officers 
and  their  judges,  stood  on  this  side  of  the  ark,  and  on  that  side 
before  the  priests  which  bore  the  ark  of  the  covenant  of  the 
Lord  ;  the  whole  nation  of  Israel,  with  the  women  and  the  little 
ones,  was  there.  And  Joshua  read  all  the  words  of  the  law,  the 
blessings  and  the  cursings ;  there  was  not  a  word  of  all  the  law 
that  Moses  commanded  which  Joshua  read  not  before  all  the 
congregation  of  Israel.  What  a  grand  assembly  that  must 
have  been !  And  when  the  voice  of  the  veteran  leader  was 
heard  proclaiming  “  Cursed  be  the  man  that  maketli  any 


122 


ILL  TJSTRA  TED  RA  MBLES 


graven  image,  an  abomination  to  Jehovah,”  and  then  the  loud 
“Amen”  of  that  mighty  congregation  was  heard  in  thunder- 
tones  rising  and  swelling  and  re-echoing  from  Ebal  to  Gerizim 
and  from  Gerizim  to  Ebal,  how  impressive  and  inspiring  the 
scene  must  have  been  ! 

The  view  from  the  top  of  the  mount  is  one  of  the  finest  in 
Palestine.  Just  below  is  Joseph’s  tomb,  in  the  parcel  of  ground 
which  his  father  gave  to  him.  Near  by  is  Jacob’s  well,  where 
Jesus  sat  when,  pointing  to  Gerizim,  He  said  to  the  woman 
of  Samaria :  “  The  hour  cometh  when  they  shall  neither  in  this 
mountain  nor  yet  in  Jerusalem  worship  the  Father.”  And 
then  far  away  stretches  out  the  beautiful  and  fertile  portion 
of  the  tribe  of  Ephraim. 

We  wandered  with  interest  among  the  extensive  ruins  of  the 
old  Samaritan  Temple,  of  which  I  cannot  now  speak  particu¬ 
larly.  Not  far  from  these  ruins  is  the  traditional  spot,  as  the 
Samaritans  affirm,  on  which  Abraham  offered  up  his  son  Isaac. 
Dean  Stanley  favors  the  identity  of  this  spot.  But  to  me  it 
seems  passing  strange  how  any  one  who  has  journeyed  through 
this  land  could  for  a  moment  suppose  it  possible  for  Abraham 
to  have  left  Hebron  and  reached  this  spot  on  the  third  day 
of  his  journey. 

We  returned  to  our  Samaritan  home  before  sundown,  de¬ 
lighted  with  our  excursion  and  rejoicing  in  the  prospect  of  a 
fine  day  for  resuming  our  journey  in  the  morning. 

Samaria. — We  left  Nablus  and  took  leave  of  the  “good 
Samaritans”  who  had  “  showed  us  no  little  kindness”  during 
the  prevalence  of  the  inclement  weather  which  had  driven  us 
from  our  tents.  We  took  an  early  start,  as  we  had  a  long  day’s 
journey  before  us.  It  was  still  cloudy,  though  “the  rain  was 
over  and  gone.”  To  be  in  motion  again  was  very  pleasant  after 
our  long  halt,  and  we  had  a  delightful  ride  through  a  very 
beautiful  portion  of  the  country.  The  temperature  was  cool 
and  pleasant,  and  the  friendly  clouds  “  spread  out  for  a 
covering”  added  not  a  little  to  our  enjoyment  by  sheltering  us 
from  the  powerful  rays  of  a  Syrian  sun. 


Samaria. 


IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


123 


A  charming  ride  of  two  hours  brought  us  to  the  site  of  Sa¬ 
maria,  which  was  for  a  long  time  the  capital  of  the  kingdom 
of  Israel.  The  situation  is  perhaps  the  most  picturesque  of  any 
city  in  Palestine.  Samaria  stood  on  a  circular  hill  which  rises 
to  a  considerable  height.  Travellers  differ  in  their  estimates 
of  its  elevation.  Some  give  its  height  as  three  hundred  feet, 
and  others  as  six  hundred.  We  took  no  measurement  ourselves, 
but,  from  our  impressions  of  it,  would  give  its  height  as  from 
four  to  five  hundred  feet.  There  is  a  broad  plateau  on  the  top 
of  the  hill,  on  which  the  city  stood.  Around  the  base  of  the 
hill  is  a  broad,  rich  valley  five  or  six  miles  in  extent.  Beyond 
this  valley,  which  completely  isolates  the  hill,  the  mountains 
rise  again  on  every  side,  forming  a  grand,  natural  amphitheatre 
encircling  the  hill  of  Samaria,  which  stands  in  the  centre,  and 
is  adorned  with  the  most  magnificent  surroundings.  The  hill 
itself,  on  which  the  city  stood,  is  cultivated  from  its  base, 
and  its  terraced  sides  and  its  summits  are  covered  with  grain 
and  with  olive  trees.  About  midway  of  the  ascent  the  hill  is 
surrounded  by  a  narrow  terrace  of  level  land,  like  a  belt,  below 
which  the  roots  of  the  hill  spread  out  more  gradually  into  the 
valley.  Higher  up,  too,  are  found  marks  of  slight  terraces, 
once  occupied,  it  may  be,  by  the  streets  of  the  ancient  city. 

The  modern  village  is  called  Sebutieh,  from  Sebaste,  the 
name  which  Herod  gave  to  the  city  as  he  rebuilt  it.  It  con¬ 
tains  only  some  sixty  houses,  with  a  population  of  about  400. 
It  stands  upon  the  broad  terrace,  midway  up  the  eastern  side 
of  the  hill.  The  houses  are  substantially  built  of  old  materials, 
and  in  their  rude  walls  may  be  seen  many  a  remnant  of  ancient 
taste  and  splendor. 

Apart  from  the  natural  beauty  which  marks  the  site  which 
Samaria  once  occupied,  there  are  two  objects  of  special  interest 
here  to  engage  the  attention  of  the  tourist.  One  of  these  is  the 
remains  of  the  church  dedicated  to  the  memory  of  John  the 
Baptist.  Perched  on  the  brow  of  the  declivity  east  of  the 
village,  it  is  the  fh’st  object  to  attract  the  notice  of  the  traveller, 
and  is  one  of  the  most  picturesque  ruins  in  Palestine.  An  old 


124 


ILL  USTRA  TED  RA  MBLES 


tradition  affirms  that  the  church  is  erected  on  the  spot  which 
marks  the  burial-place  of  John  the  Baptist,  if  not  the  scene 
of  his  martyrdom.  The  roof  of  the  building  is  gone,  but  the 
walls  remain.  The  total  length  of  the  interior  is  153  feet  and 
the  breadth  75. 

Portions  of  the  building  are  thought  by  some,  who  have  care¬ 
fully  examined  them,  and  who  are  competent  judges  of  such 
matters,  to  belong  to  the  early  Saracenic  age.  There  can  be 
little  doubt,  however,  that  the  building  as  it  now  stands  is  at 
least  as  old  as  the  time  of  the  Crusades.  Dr.  Robinson  says : 
“  The  presence  of  so  many  crosses  of  the  Knights  of  St.  John, 
and  the  circumstance  that  the  spot  was  regarded  as  the 
sepulchre  of  their  patron  saint,  render  it  probable  that  the 
church  may  have  been  erected  by  that  order,  in  connection, 
perhaps,  with  the  Latin  bishopric.” 

By  a  flight  of  twenty-two  stone  steps  we  were  led  into  a  grotto 
beneath  the  church,  where  the  reputed  tomb  of  the  Baptist  was 
pointed  out  to  us.  And  the  vault  in  which  the  tomb  stands  is 
affirmed  to  be  the  prison  in  which  the  faithful  reprover  of 
wickedness  in  high  places  was  confined  before  his  execution. 
But  of  this  there  are  grave  doubts. 

The  other  object  of  interest  in  connection  with  this  place  is 
found  in  the  number  of  old  columns  of  the  ancient  city  that 
remain,  some  standing  erect  and  others  prostrate  on  the  ground 
and  partially  buried  in  the  earth,  amidst  rich  orchards  and 
groves  of  olive  and  fig  trees.  The  columns  found  on  the 
summit  of  the  hill  form  three  rows,  thirty-two  paces  apart, 
while  less  than  two  paces  intervene  between  the  columns. 
They  measure  seven  feet  nine  inches,  in  circumference,  but  there 
is  no  trace  of  the  order  of  their  architecture,  nor  are  there  any 
foundations  to  be  seen,  nor  indications  of  the  nature  of  the 
edifice  to  which  they  belonged.  Some  refer  them  to  Herod’s 
temple  of  Augustus,  and  others  to  a  Greek  church  which  once 
occupied  the  summit  of  the  hill. 

The  descent  of  the  hill  on  the  west  south-west  side  brings  the 
traveller  to  a  very  remarkable  colonnade,  which  is  easily  trace- 


IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


125 


able  by  a  great  number  of  columns,  erect  or  prostrate,  along  the 
side  of  tlie  bill,  and  terminating  in  a  heap  of  ruins  near  the 
eastern  extremity  of  the  ancient  site.  These  columns  are  six¬ 
teen  feet  high,  two  feet  in  diameter  at  the  base,  and  one  foot 
eight  inches  at  the  top.  The  capitals  have  disappeared,  but  the 
shafts  retain  their  polish,  and  when  not  broken  are  in  good 
preservation.  Eighty-two  of  these  columns  are  still  erect,  and 
the  number  of  them  fallen  and  broken  must  be  much  greater. 
This  colonnade,  the  remains  of  which  now  stand  solitary  and 
mournful  in  the  midst  of  ploughed  fields,  belongs,  no  doubt,  to 
the  times  of  Herod  the  Great,  and  must  be  regarded  as  part 
of  one  of  the  splendid  structures  with  which  he  adorned  the 
city. 

Samaria  must  have  been  a  very  gem  of  beauty  in  the  palmy 
days  of  its  prosperity ;  and  while  wandering  amidst  its  mould¬ 
ering  ruins,  I  thought  of  Isaiah’s  graphic  reference  to  it,  as  thus 
expressed :  “  The  glorious  beauty,  which  is  on  the  head  of  the 
fat  valley,  shall  be  a  fading  flower,  and  as  the  hasty  fruit 
before  the  summer.”  Isa.  xxviii.  4. 

And  there  is  another  prophetic  utterance,  too,  concerning 
this  ancient  city,  which  strikes  one  with  great  power  as  he 
stands  on  this  hill  and  looks  on  these  solitary  columns  shooting 
up  from  green  grain  and  clustering  vines,  and  on  the  piles  of 
heavy  stones  in  the  terraced  fields,  and  the  great  heaps  among 
the  olive  trees  in  the  valley  below  ;  I  refer  to  Micah’s  striking 
and  fearful  prediction,  when  God  says,  through  him :  “  I  will 
make  Samaria  as  a  heap  of  the  field,  and  as  plantings  of  a 
vineyard ;  and  I  will  pour  down  the  stories  thereof  into  the  valley, 
and  I  will  discover  the  foundations  thereoj Micah  i.  6. 

This  was  the  place  in  which  some  very  interesting  events  took 
place  of  which  we  read  in  the  Bible,  especially  in  the  days  of 
those  great  prophets  Elijah  and  Elisha.  It  was  into  the  midst 
of  this  city  that  Elisha  led  a  whole  army  of  men  who  had  been 
sent  by  the  king  of  Syria  to  take  him  prisoner.  lie  prayed  to 
God  to  smite  them  with  blindness,  so  that  they  could  not  see. 
And  then,  instead  of  their  taking  him  prisoner,  he  took  them 


12G 


ILL  US TRA  TED  RA MBL ES 


all  prisoners  and  brought  them  into  the  midst  of  the  chief  city 
of  their  enemies.  This  was  the  only  time  in  the  history  of  the 
world  when  a  whole  army  of  soldiers  was  captured  by  one  man, 
without  striking  a  blow,  and  he  not  a  soldier,  either.  See  2 
Kings  vi.  8-23. 

And  here  it  was,  too,  that  the  interesting  history  of  a  siege 
and  famine,  and  the  miraculous  raising  of  the  siege,  occurred, 
according  to  the  prediction  of  Elisha,  as  we  read  in  2  Kings  vii. 

Dothan. — In  our  journey  from  Samaria  to  Jenin  we  passed 
in  sight  of  Dothan.  The  country  here  is  very  fertile  and 
beautiful.  It  is  hilly,  but  not  as  much  so  as  our  engraving 
represents.  The  hills  are  covered  with  groves  of  olive  trees. 
Among  the  hills  are  fertile  plains  and  valleys.  In  one  of  these 
lies  Dothan.  It  is  called  Tell  Dothan,  or  the  hill  of  Dothan. 
I  looked  at  this  with  great  pleasure,  because  of  its  connection 
with  two  very  interesting  Bible  stories.  One  of  these  is  in  the 
history  of  Joseph. 

The  country  around  Dothan  is  very  fertile  now.  There  is  no 
better  pasture  for  flocks  to  be  found  anywhere  in  Palestine  than 
in  the  neighborhood  of  Dothan.  And  it  seems  to  have  been 
the  same  three  thousand  years  ago,  when  Joseph  was  a  boy. 
His  brethren  had  large  flocks  of  sheep  and  other  cattle  to  feed 
and  take  care  of.  When  their  flocks  had  used  up  the  pasture 
found  in  one  place,  they  were  in  the  habit  of  moving  away  to 
some  other  place  where  the  pasture  was  good  and  plenty. 
When  they  left  their  father’s  home  they  led  their  flocks  to 
Shechem,  or  Nablus,  as  it  is  now  called.  The  fields  about 
Shechem  were  very  fertile,  and  offered  excellent  pasture  for 
cattle,  just  as  they  do  to-day.  Jacob  sent  Joseph  out  of  the 
vale  of  Hebron,  where  he  was  then  living,  to  go  and  visit  his 
brethren  in  Shechem  and  to  see  how  they  were  getting  on  with 
their  flocks.  But  before  Joseph  got  there,  they  had  used  up 
the  pasture  in  that  neighborhood,  and  had  gone  to  Dothan  with 
their  flocks  ;  this  is  about  twelve  miles  from  Shechem.  Joseph 
went  after  them,  little  dreaming  of  the  great  trial  that  awaited 
him  on  his  arrival  there. 


IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


127 


As  we  rode  along  in  sight  of  the  place,  I  tried  to  picture  to 
myself  the  scene  that  took  place  on  that  day.  I  suppose  that 
Joseph,  to  the  day  of  his  death,  never  forgot  that  day  or  that 
place.  I  thought  of  the  cattle  scattered  over  the  fields,  en¬ 
joying  themselves  in  the  rich  pasture  which  they  found  there; 
I  thought  of  the  sons  of  Jacob  sitting  under  the  shade  of  some 
great  tree  and  watching  their  flocks,  just  as  men  are  often  seen 
in  that  country  now ;  I  thought  of  the  boy  Joseph,  in  his  “coat 
of  many  colors,”  hurrying  on  to  meet  his  brethren.  As  soon  as 
they  see  him,  instead  of  being  glad  to  have  him  come  with  news 
to  them  of  their  father  and  their  home,  they  say  to  each  other, 
“  Behold,  this  dreamer  cometh !”  And  then  they  make  up 
their  minds  to  kill  him.  What  a  cruel  disappointment  to 
Joseph,  to  be  stripped  of  his  beautiful  coat,  to  hear  them  talk 
of  killing  him,  and  to  be  cast  into  a  deep,  empty  pit !  How 
sadly  he  must  have  felt,  and  what  bitter  tears  he  must  have 
shed  in  that  lonely  pit ! 

I  suppose  he  was  not  very  long  there,  for  the  next  thing  we 
read  of  is  that  “  they  sat  down  to  eat  bread  — I  wonder  how 
they  could  have  had  any  appetite  for  food  after  behaving  so 
cruelly  to  their  poor  brother — “  and  they  lifted  up  their  eyes 
and  looked,  and,  behold,  a  company  of  Ishmaelites  came  from 
Gilead,  with  their  camels  bearing  spicery  and  balm  and  myrrh, 
going  to  carry  it  down  to  Egypt.”  And  then  his  brethren 
changed  their  minds.  They  concluded  to  sell  Joseph  to  these 
men,  and  let  them  take  him  down  to  Egypt.  They  thought 
that  this  would  be  the  best  way  to  prevent  his  dreams  from 
coming  to  pass.  And  yet,  without  knowing  it,  they  were  taking 
the  very  means  which  were  to  cause  the  fulfillment  of  those 
dreams.  How  wonderfully  God  overrules  the  thoughts  and 
conduct  of  men,  and  even  their  very  wickedness,  so  as  to  bring 
good  out  of  them  in  the  end ! 

So  “they  drew  and  lifted  up  Joseph  out  of  the  pit,  and  sold 
him  to  the  Ishmaelites  for  twenty  pieces  of  silver.”  Just  such 
may  be  found  along  the  road  there  to-day.  Dothan  is  very 
little  changed  from  what  it  was  in  the  days  of  Joseph.  If  we 


128 


ILLUSTRATED  RAMBLES 


were  to  stay  there  long  we  might  see  just  such  things  taking 
place  now  as  took  place  then.  These  Ishmaelites  were  Ara¬ 
bians.  They  are  now  called  Bedouins.  Gilead,  the  country 
from  which  they  came,  is  on  the  eastern  side  of  Jordan.  The 
road  from  Gilead  to  Egypt  still  passes  by  Dothan,  and  com¬ 
panies,  or  caravans,  as  they  are  called,  of  these  Arabs  may 
often  be  seen  now,  with  their  camels,  going  down  to  Egypt. 
Their  dress  is  just  the  same  now  that  it  was  then.  Yes,  and 
you  will  find  them  carrying  just  the  same  things  to  sell  in 
Egypt  now  that  were  carried  then.  Spices  and  balm  and 
myrrh  are  still  the  things  in  which  they  chiefly  trade.  And 
if  a  company  of  shepherds  should  offer  to  sell  a  smart  boy  to 
some  of  these  travelling  merchants,  as  Joseph’s  brethren  did, 
they  would  be  just  as  willing  to  make  a  bargain  of  this  kind 
now  as  they  were  then.  How  strange  it  seems  to  us  that,  after 
more  than  thirty-five  hundred  years  have  passed  away,  the  cus¬ 
toms  and  dress  and  everything  connected  with  the  people  of  that 
country  should  remain  so  entirely  unchanged ! 

It  is  not  known  with  certainty  what  the  “  balm  ”  was  that  is 
here  spoken  of.  It  is  supposed  to  have  been  a  sort  of  gum  that 
was  procured  from  some  of  the  trees  that  grew  in  that  country. 
Gilead  was  always  celebrated  for  the  balm  which  it  yielded. 
It  was  so  in  Joseph’s  days,  and  it  was  the  same  in  the  time  of 
the  prophet  Jeremiah.  He  compares  God’s  grace  to  this  balm, 
when  he  asks  the  question :  “  Is  there  no  balm  in  Gilead  t  is 
there  no  physician  there  ?  why  then  is  not  the  health  of  the 
daughter  of  my  people  recovered  ?”  Jer.  viii.  22. 

And  when  we  think  of  this  history  of  Joseph,  and  see  how 
wonderfully  God  overruled  everything  connected  with  it  for 
good,  it  should  teach  us  to  trust  in  God  at  all  times.  And 
when  we  cannot  understand  what  He  is  doing,  we  should  wait 
with  patience,  and  in  the  end  we  shall  be  ready  to  say,  as  the 
people  said  who  saw  our  Saviour’s  miracles  while  He  was  on 
earth,  “  he  hath  done  all  things  well !” 

There  is  another  Bible  incident  which  adds  much  to  the  inte¬ 
rest  of  this  locality.  Elisha  was  living  here  at  one  period  of 


Plain  of  Esdraelon. 


IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


129 


his  history.  It  was  from  Dothan  that  he  sent  information  on 
several  occasions  to  Ahab,  at  Samaria,  of  the  movements  that 
the  king  of  Syria  was  planning  against  him  at  Damascus. 
Enraged  at  the  failure  of  his  successive  designs,  he  sent  an 
army  to  make  a  prisoner  of  the  prophet.  A  great  host,  with 
chariots  and  horses,  came  and  surrounded  Elisha  in  his  hillside 
home  at  Dothan.  When  the  servant  of  the  man  of  God  rose  in 
the  morning  he  was  alarmed,  as  well  he  might  be,  to  see  this 
beleaguering  host  quite  surrounding  the  hill.  The  situation 
looked  desperate.  Escape  seemed  impossible.  Natural  enough 
was  his  exclamation,  “  Alas,  my  master,  what  shall  we  do  ?” 
“Fear  not,”  said  the  prophet;  “they  that  be  with  us  are  more 
than  they  that  be  with  them.”  Then  came  the  prophet’s  prayer 
that  his  servant’s  eyes  might  be  opened ;  and  then  he  had  that 
wondrous  vision  of  “  the  mountain  full  of  chariots  of  fire  and 
horses  of  fire  round  about  Elisha.”  It  was  here  that  Elisha 
smote  that  great  host  with  blindness,  and  led  them  along  the 
road  we  have  just  traversed  into  the  city  of  Samaria.  2  Kings 
vi.  13-23. 

The  First  View  of  Hermon. — As  we  turned  reluctantly 
away  from  this  interesting  locality  to  pursue  our  journey,  we 
got  our  first  view  of  Mount  Hermon.  Far  up  to  the  north, 
robed  in  a  glorious  mantle  of  snow,  in  solemn,  silent  grandeur, 
it  seemed  to  be  standing  sentinel  over  all  that  upper  portion  of 
“  this  goodly  land.”  It  was  a  beautiful  sight,  refreshing  to  the 
eye,  and  one  the  picture  of  which  lingers  enchantingly  in 
memory’s  chamber. 

This  rapid  succession  of  lovely  scenes  and  sacred  objects 
made  the  whole  of  our  afternoon’s  ride  a  source  of  unmingled 
enjoyment  and  delight.  It  was  a  continual  feast.  We  turned 
away  from  Dothan,  indeed,  and  lost  sight  of  that;  but  still 
there  was  Hermon  before  us,  an  object  of  real  sublimity  in  its 
beauty  and  its  grandeur. 

Jenin. — By  the  close  of  the  afternoon  we  reached  our 
stopping-place.  This  was  the  town  of  Jenin.  It  lies  hid  away 
in  a  ravine  on  the  southern  border  of  the  great  plain  of 
9 


130 


ILLUSTRATED  RAMBLES 


Esdraelon.  Gardens  and  orchards  surround  the  town.  These, 
with  the  town  itself,  owe  their  flourishing  character  to  the 
fountain  which  bursts  out  in  the  midst  of  the  valley.  The  town 
takes  its  name  from  this  fountain.  Jenin— originally  En- 
Gannim,  or  Ain-Gannim — denotes  “  the  fountain  of  gardens,” 
and  is  so  called  from  the  flourishing  orchards  which  anciently 
(as  well  as  now)  distinguished  the  place.  And  this  fountain  is 
the  most  distant  permanent  source  of  “  that  ancient  river — the 
river  Ivishon.”  Jenin  is  the  usual  stopping-place  and  the  chief 
town  between  Nablus  and  Nazareth.  It  contains  about  2000 
inhabitants,  who  are  nearly  all  Moslems.  It  deals  largely  in  all 
the  products  of  the  country,  and  with  the  Bedouin  on  the  east 
of  the  Jordan.  It  was  a  Levitical  city  of  the  tribe  of  Issachar 
(Joshua  xix.  21 ;  xxi.  29),  and  is  mentioned  by  Josephus  under 
the  name  of  Ginsea.  The  people  are  fanatical,  rude  and  re¬ 
bellious.  They  are  almost  always  fighting  among  themselves 
or  with  their  neighbors. 

A  Brave  Defender. — After  reaching  our  encampment,  our 
dragoman  told  us  that  the  people  of  the  village  were  so  quarrel¬ 
some  and  thievish  that  it  was  never  safe  to  stop  a  night  there 
without  an  extra  guard,  and  that  he  had  engaged  the  brother 
of  the  sheik  of  the  village  to  occupy  this  responsible  post.  This 
man  was  a  great,  tall,  athletic-looking  fellow,  but  a  deaf  mute. 
While  we  were  taking  our  dinner  he  came  into  our  tent,  bran¬ 
dishing  a  revolver.  lie  expressed  to  us  by  signs  how  safely  we 
might  lie  down  and  rest,  because  he,  brave  fellow  as  he  was,  by 
aid  of  that  revolver  would  protect  us  from  all  harm.  Directly 
after,  our  waiter,  Dominicho,  came  in,  and  informed  us  that  the 
guard  had  borrowed  this  revolver  from  our  dragoman,  Ali 
Solyman,  but  that  he  stood  in  mortal  dread  of  the  weapon 
he  had  flourished  before  us  so  heroically ;  that  he  refused  to 
touch  it  till  all  the  charges  tvere  withdrawn  from  it!  With  such 
a  champion  for  our  defender,  what  cause  could  there  be  for 
fear? 


IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


131 


CHAPTER  XI. 

FROM  JENIN  TO  MOUNT  CARMEL — THE  PLAIN  OF  ESDRAELON- — 
THE  MOUNTAINS  OF  GILBOA — LITTLE  IIERMON — SHUNEM — 
NAIN — ENDOR — MOUNT  TALOR — NAZARETH — A  SUNDAY  AT 
NAZARETH — MOUNT  CARMEL. 

The  Plain  of  Esdraelon. — Jenin,  where  we  spent  the  last 
night,  is  the  entrance  to  the  great  plain  of  Esdraelon.  We  had 
anticipated  our  ride  across  this  plain  with  great  interest.  This 
feeling  naturally  suggested  the  hope  and  desire  for  a  fine,  clear 
day  to  enjoy  the  ride.  But  before  retiring  to  rest  for  the  night, 
in  our  encampment  at  Jenin,  we  had  observed  with  no  little 
anxiety  that  the  sky  was  covered  with  thick  clouds,  as  if  pre¬ 
paring  for  another  rainy  spell.  Our  anticipations  for  the 
morrow,  accordingly,  were  not  of  the  brightest  or  most  san¬ 
guine  character. 

The  next  morning,  feeling  too  uneasy  about  the  weather  to 
sleep  much,  I  rose  before  five  o’clock,  and  on  peeping  out  of  the 
tent  door,  found,  to  my  great  delight,  a  perfectly  clear  sky  over¬ 
head,  which  the  sun  was  already  beginning  to  tinge  with  the 
faint  traces  of  his  early  hues. 

We  took  an  early  breakfast,  so  as  to  secure  a  good  start  for  a 
long  day’s  ride,  from  which  we  were  anticipating  the  highest 
possible  enjoyment.  The  weather  favored  us  completely.  The 
day  was  perfectly  delightful.  We  had  a  clear,  blue  sky,  a 
sparkling  sun,  the  air  cool  and  balmy,  the  scenery  magnificent, 
and  the  historical  associations  on  every  hand  of  the  most  deeply 
stirring  character.  The  plain  of  Esdraelon  lay  before  us — the 
great  battle-field  of  Palestine. 

This  plain  of  Esdraelon  is  interesting  for  several  reasons.  In 
the  first  place  it  is  a  very  large  plain.  To  be  sure,  if  we  should 
compare  it  with  one  of  our  broad  prairies  it  would  seem  small 
enough.  It  is  about  thirty  miles  long  and  twenty  broad.  But 
when  compared  with  the  size  of  the  country  to  which  it  belongs, 
we  may  well  speak  of  it  as  large.  Look  at  the  picture  again. 


132 


ILLUSTRATED  RAMBLES 


The  range  of  mountains  you  see  on  the  right  hand  are  the 
mountains  of  Gilboa.  From  the  foot  of  these  mountains  on  the 
east  this  famous  plain  stretches  away,  clear  across  the  country 
to  the  shores  of  the  Mediterranean  Sea  on  the  west.  And  from 
the  country  around  Samaria  on  the  south  it  runs  up  as  far  as 
Mount  Hermon  on  the  north.  Hermon  is  the  highest  mountain 
in  Palestine,  except  Lebanon,  on  the  northern  border.  When 
we  saw  it,  its  top  was  covered  with  snow ;  and  as  I  looked  at  it, 
it  seemed  to  me  to  stand  like  a  sentinel  with  a  white  mantle 
wrapped  about  him,  keeping  watch  over  this  beautiful  plain. 

In  the  next  place  this  plain  is  very  beautiful.  Two  things 
help  to  make  up  this  beauty.  One  of  these  is  the  numerous 
mountains  that  rise  out  of  the  plain  or  stand  around  it.  The 
other  is  the  fertility  of  the  soil.  Let  us  look  at  these  mountains. 
If  you  stand  anywhere  on  this  beautiful  plain  and  look  toward 
“  the  great  sea  westward,”  as  the  Mediterranean  is  called  in  the 
Bible,  Mount  Carmel  appears  in  sight,  with  the  other  mountains 
in  its  range.  Far  away  to  the  north,  what  Moses  calls  “the 
goodly  mountains  of  Lebanon”  may  be  dimly  seen.  And  then 
there  are  the  Great  Hermon,  of  which  we  have  just  spoken,  and 
“  Little  Hermon,”  of  which  David  speaks  in  the  Psalms,  and 
Tabor  and  Gilboa,  all  interesting  mountains,  and  all  adding 
very  much  to  the  beauty  of  this  plain. 

The  fertility  of  this  plain,  as  well  as  the  mountains  about  it, 
helps  to  make  it  beautiful.  The  soil  here  is  very  rich.  It  was 
in  the  early  spring  when  we  visited  it.  In  some  parts  of  it  there 
were  large  fields  covered  with  grain,  which  was  springing  up  and 
waving  gracefully  in  the  wind  as  it  swept  by.  In  other  places 
the  fields  were  carpeted  with  flowers— wild  flowers — of  every 
variety  of  form  and  color.  These  were  praising  God,  as  the 
flowers  always  do,  by  showing  His  wisdom  and  goodness  in 
seeking  to  make  us  happy  by  causing  such  beautiful  things  to 
grow  where  He  might  have  left  the  ground  all  barren  and  bare, 
or  covered  only  with  grass  or  weeds. 

All  travellers  unite  in  testifying  to  the  extraordinary  fertility 
of  this  plain.  One  tells  us  “  that  on  entering  the  plain  his  eye 


f 


IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


133 


could  not  be  satisfied  with  gazing.  It  was  the  season  of  spring, 
the  air  was  bland  and  balmy,  the  blue  mountains  around — 
Carmel,  Tabor,  Little  Hermon  and  Gilboa — rose  in  their  state¬ 
liness,  and  the  words  of  the  89th  Psalm  were  continually  before 
me :  ‘  Tabor  and  Hermon  shall  rejoice  in  thy  name.’  The 
plain  is  a  field  of  grain  which  no  man’s  hand  sows  and  no  man’s 
hand  reaps.” 

The  Mountains  op  Gilboa. — As  we  entered  the  plain,  and 
for  the  first  hour  and  a  half  of  our  journey,  we  were  riding 
along  with  the  range  of  Gilboa’s  barren  mountains  directly  on 
our  right.  I  looked  upon  those  sacred  mountains  with  a  feeling 
of  very  great  interest.  They  are  about  twenty -two  hundred  feet 
above  the  level  of  the  sea,  and  about  twelve  hundred  feet  above 
the  plain  out  of  which  they  rise. 

Here  it  was  that  Saul  found  himself  cast  off,  as  well  as  cast 
down  and  despairing,  on  the  eve  of  his  last  fatal  battle.  Find¬ 
ing  that  he  could  get  no  answer  from  the  Lord,  whom  he  had 
rejected,  he  stole  away  by  night  to  Endor,  and  sought  the 
witch’s  aid  to  bring  up  Samuel  to  answer  his  anxious  question 
about  the  issue  of  the  next  day’s  conflict.  How  touching  the 
words  of  the  despairing  monarch,  when  Samuel  asked  why  he 
had  brought  him  up  :  “  I  am  sore  distressed;  for  the  Philistines 
make  war  against  me,  and  God  is  departed  from  me,  and  answer etli 
me  no  more,  neither  by  prophets,  nor  by  dreams.”  Alas !  flow 
vain  to  seek  for  comfort  anywhere  when  God  withholds  it  from 
us !  Saul  felt,  how  deeply,  then,  the  bitterness  of  that  curse : 
“  Woe  unto  them  when  I  depart  from  them  !”  The  fatal  battle 
is  joined  the  next  day,  and  Saul  and  his  sons  are  slain,  giving 
occasion  to  David’s  peerless  and  pathetic  elegy :  “  The  beauty 
of  Israel  are  slain  upon  their  high  places ;  how  are  the  mighty 
fallen  !” 

Not  a  tree  is  to  be  seen  upon  the  whole  range  of  Gilboa,  and 
its  prevailing  barrenness,  except  a  strip  of  green  along  its  base, 
would  seem  to  favor  the  idea  that  the  influence  of  David’s 
imprecation  rests  there  still :  “  Ye  mountains  of  Gilboa,  let 
there  be  no  rain  upon  you,  neither  dew,  nor  fields  of  offering ; 


134 


ILLUSTRATED  RAMBLES 


for  there  the  shield  of  the  mighty  was  vilely  cast  away ;  the 
shield  of  Saul,  as  though  he  had  not  been  anointed  with  oil.” 
2  Sam.  i.  21. 

Jezreel. — After  passing  these  mountains,  we  came  to  the 
ruins  of  Jezreel,  now  a  wretched  village,  though  once  the  royal 
abode  of  Ahab  and  the  kings  of  Israel.  There  is  nothing  royal 
about  it  now,  except  its  situation,  which  is  certainly  very  line. 
From  the  north  and  east  sides  tall,  dark  mountains  cast  their 
shadows.  To  the  west  and  south  the  magnificent  Esdraelon 
stretches  away,  surrounded  by  the  mountains  of  Galilee,  “  the 
excellency  of  Carmel,”  and  the  fat  hills  of  Samaria.  There  is 
little  to  claim  attention  -in  the  city  itself.  It  never  could  have 
been  large  or  splendid. 

Near  here  was  Naboth’s  vineyard,  which  the  king  coveted, 
and  Jezebel  gave  to  him  all  stained  with  innocent  blood.  And 
here,  as  he  went  by  to  take  possession,  the  stern  prophet  Elijah 
met  him,  and  poured  into  his  tingling  ear  one  of  the  most 
curdling  messages  ever  uttered  by  mortal  lips.  1  Kings  xxi. 
19-25.  It  Avas  over  this  plain  that  Jehu  the  son  of  Nimshi  came 
“  driving  furiously,”  as  the  executioner  of  God’s  wrath.  And 
here,  too,  the  infamous  Jezebel  met  her  well-deserved  but 
terrible  fate :  “  the  dogs  shall  eat  Jezebel  in  the  'portion  of 
Jezreel.” 

From  the  ruins  of  Jezreel  we  rode  to  the  fountain  of  Ain 
Jaleed,  a  large  stream  of  beautiful,  clear  water  issuing  from  a 
fine  grotto  at  the  rocky  base  of  Gilboa.  The  stream  runs 
across  the  plain  and  falls  into  “  that  ancient  river,  the  river 
Kishon.”  The  point  of  special  interest  about  this  stream  is, 
that  it  was  here  that  Gideon  was  crossing  with  his  10,000 
faint-hearted  men,  when,  by  “  the  three  hundred  men  that 
crossed,”  God  chose  to  work  out  deliverance  to  Israel.  We 
drove  our  horses  into  the  stream,  and  thought  of  Gideon  and  his 
little  band  of  heroes,  and  felt  tempted  to  raise  once  more  the  old 
battle-cry,  “  The  sword  of  the  Lord  and  of  Gideon.” 

Little  Hermon. — From  the  banks  of  this  stream  we  rode 
across  a  portion  of  the  plain  and  made  the  ascent  of  Little 


Jezreel. 


Little  Hermon  and  Naix.  P.  135 


IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


135 


Hermon.  The  view  from  the  top  is  very  extensive.  It  com¬ 
mands  the  whole  plain.  Before  you,  in  the  distance,  you  see 
Mount  Carmel  by  the  sea.  On  the  other  hand  you  look  down 
on  the  whole  range  of  Gilboa,  which  has  just  been  passed.  In 
another  direction  you  catch  glimpses  of  the  river  Jordan,  with 
the  dark  mountains  of  Moab  beyond ;  while  to  the  north  are 
seen  the  hills  of  Galilee,  with  Nazareth  in  view  on  the  southern 
slope. 

On  this  broad  plain  what  stirring  scenes  have  been  witnessed ! 
Here  Barak  and  Deborah  gained  their  victory  over  Sisera  and 
his  mighty  host ;  here  Gideon’s  little  band  broke  their  pitchers 
and  rushed  victoriously  on  their  astonished  foes ;  here  Israel 
and  the  Philistines  often  fought ;  here  Josiali  was  defeated  and 
killed  by  Pharaoh  Necho ;  and  here  the  tide  of  war  has  con¬ 
tinued  to  surge  even  down  to  modern  times,  when  the  French 
Marshal  Ivlebcr,  with  0000  men,  held  his  ground  against  ten 
times  the  number  for  six  long  hours,  till  Napoleon  came  to  his 
aid  and  swept  the  Turks  away.  This  field  has  been  the  scene 
of  nearly  all  the  battles  of  Syria. 

We  stopped  to  lunch  on  the  summit  of  Little  Ilermon,  with 
a  glorious  landscape  all  around  us,  and  felt  the  inspiration  of 
the  scene.  That  noonday  rest  in  the  midst  of  so  magnificent  a 
panorama  has  left  an  impression  that  can  never  be  effaced. 

SiruNKM. — A  short  distance  from  the  foot  of  the  mountains 
and  immediately  below  us,  so  that  we  could  look  down  upon  it, 
lay  Shunem,  the  scene  of  one  of  the  most  interesting  episodes  in 
the  life  of  Elisha.  How  vividly  the  story  of  the  Shunammite 
and  her  son  came  up  before  us,  while  the  actual  scene  where  it 
all  transpired  lay  full  in  vieAV.  There  was  the  village  in  Avliich 
“the  great  woman”  lived,  and  where  she  “built  the  little 
chamber  on  the  wall”  for  the  use  of  the  prophet.  Into  one  of 
those  corn-fields  that  surround  the  village  the  child  of  promise 
“'went  out  to  his  father  to  the  reapers,”  and  there  it  was  Avhcn 
the  sun  smote  him,  that  he  cried  “  my  head,  my  head,”  and  Avas 
carried  home  to  his  mother  to  die  on  her  knees.  I  never  under¬ 
stood,  in  its  full  force,  till  journeying  through  this  land,  the 


136 


ILLUSTRATED  RAMBLES 


expression  of  the  Psalmist  when  he  says,  “  the  sun  shall  not 
smite  thee  by  day.”  I  rode  with  an  umbrella  over  my  head  all 
the  time,  and  on  two  occasions  when  neglecting  this  precaution 
for  half  a  day,  I  came  very  near  having  a  sun-stroke. 

It  was  across  yonder  great  plain  that  the  Shunammite  mother 
rode  in  the  afternoon  of  that  memorable  day  to  the  blue  ridge 
of  Carmel,  to  tell  the  prophet  of  her  sad  bereavement ;  and 
across  it  she  returned  again  “  with  the  man  of  God,”  to  receive 
from  him  her  son,  thus  doubly  the  gift  of  heaven  to  her. 

Nain. — On  our  descent  from  the  mountain  we  came  to  Nain, 
the  city  where  Jesus  met  the  funeral  procession,  and  cheered  the 
heart  of  the  sorrowing  widow  by  restoring  her  dead  son  to  her 
arms.  Its  houses  are  few  and  poor  and  its  situation  bleak  and 
uninteresting,  though  commanding  a  wide  view  over  the  plain 
and  among  the  mountains  of  Galilee.  A  few  hundred  paces 
above  the  houses  are  many  rock  tombs  in  the  hill-side,  the  site, 
perhaps,  of  the  cemetery  in  which  the  widow’s  son  was  to  have 
been  buried.  There  is  nothing  of  special  interest  about  the 
place  itself,  but  with  what  a  charm  the  associations  of  the  gospel 
history  invest  it !  It  does  not  require  a  very  strong  imagination 
to  picture  the  funeral  procession  coming  out  of  the  city — the 
men  carrying  the  open  bier,  the  women  behind,  grouped  around 
the  bereaved  widow  and  rending  the  air  with  their  cries,  as 
they  do  still.  Another  procession  meets  them.  He  who  leads 
it  directs  a  glance  of  more  than  human  compassion  on  the 
widow,  and  says  in  tenderest  tones,  “  weep  not.”  Pie  approaches 
and  touches  the  bier.  The  bearers  stand  still,  for  there  is  some¬ 
thing  in  the  bearing  of  the  stranger  that  awes  them.  Jesus 
says,  “Young  man,  I  say  unto  thee,  arise.”  And  he  that  was 
dead  sits  up  and  begins  to  speak.  And  He  delivers  him  to  his 
mother. 

At  the  ruins  of  this  village  our  company  parted  for  the  rest 
of  the  day,  only  one  of  them,  with  the  dragoman  and  myself, 
wishing  to  ride  across  the  plain  and  ascend  Mount  Tabor — our 
only  chance  of  doing  so — the  rest  preferring  to  hasten  to  their 
tents  at  Nazareth,  already  visible  in  the  distance. 


Mount  Tabor. 


IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


137 


Endor. — In  going  to  the  foot  of  Tabor,  we  rode  by  Endor, 
where  Saul  in  the  depth  of  his  despair  consulted  the  witch  on 
the  night  before  the  fatal  battle  of  Gilboa.  The  only  remark¬ 
able  things  here  are  the  caverns  hewn  in  the  cliffs  above  the 
village.  They  are  rude,  irregular  excavations,  the  object  of 
which  it  is  difficult  to  determine,  though  they  strike  one  forcibly 
as  a  fit  habitation  for  one  who  professed  to  have  dealings  with 
the  spirits  of  the  departed.  “  The  whole  place,”  says  Dr. 
Thomson,  “  is  in  most  striking  accord  with  its  ancient  story ; 
and  those  old  hags  grinning  at  us  from  the  yawning  mouths  of 
their  blackened  habitations  look  more  like  witches  than  women. 
Hark  how  they  curse  the  fathers  and  grandfathers  of  us  Christian 
dogs — a  kind  of  salutation  that  you  never  hear  now  but  from 
the  very  vilest  people  of  the  country.  Whether  witches  or  not, 
they  are  undoubtedly  ‘  possessed,’  and  we  may  just  as  well  pass 
out  of  their  sight.  See,  here  are  a  dozen  little  calves  at  the 
mouth  of  this  cave,  kept  up  from  their  mothers,  who  are  at 
pasture  under  the  care  of  the  shepherd.  I  do  not  mean  that 
there  is  anything  unusual  in  this,  but  merely  that  just  such  a 
calf  did  the  witch  kill  for  Saul  on  that  dismal  night  when  he 
sought  her  dwelling.” 

Mount  Tabor. — It  took  us  five  hours’  hard  riding  to  cross 
the  plain,  make  the  ascent  of  Tabor,  and  reach  our  encampment 
at  Nazareth;  but  we  felt  fully  recompensed  for  the  toil  in 
visiting  the  traditional  though  disputed  scene  of  the  transfigura¬ 
tion.  The  ascent  of  Tabor  is  interesting  from  its  richness  and 
fertility.  A  carpet  of  grass  covers  the  slopes  of  the  mount  all 
the  way  up,  and  oaks  and  olive  trees  abound  even  to  the 
summit.  The  mountain  stands  separated  from  all  others,  with 
smooth,  unbroken  sides,  and  is  equally  an  object  of  beauty 
whether  looked  at  from  a  distance  or  near  at  hand.  The  height 
of  the  mount,  as  given  by  different  writers,  varies  from  eight 
hundred  to  fourteen  hundred  feet.  The  view  from  the  top  is 
very  interesting  and  extensive.  “  The  plain  of  Esdraelon  is  the 
most  striking  feature.  The  eye  takes  in  at  a  glance,  from  the 
base  of  the  hill  at  our  feet  to  the  ridge  of  Carmel  on  the  west, 


138 


ILLUSTRATED  RAMBLES 


an  unbroken  sea  of  verdure.  ‘Little  Hermon’  is  before  us  on 
the  south,  with  Nain  and  Endor  on  its  side,  and  the  top  of 
Gilboa  appearing  over  it ;  on  the  east  is  a  large  stretch  of  the 
Jordan  valley,  and  a  long  wall  of  the  mountains  of  Gilead 
beyond.  The  outline  of  the  volcanic  basin  in  which  the  sea  of 
Galilee  lies  is  distinctly  traced,  though  only  a  small  portion  of 
the  lake  is  visible.  Beyond  it  we  can  see  how  the  tabledand 
of  Bashan  runs  back  from  the  brow  of  the  high,  eastern  bank. 
Hermon  is  still  there,  a  towering  cone  capped  with  snow ;  and 
the  southern  roots  of  the  Lebanon  range  around  Safed  are  there 
also.  The  whole  country  from  Tabor  to  the  sea  of  Galilee 
appears  like  an  undulating  plain.” 

Tabor  is  often  spoken  of  in  Scripture.  It  was  here  that 
Barak  drew  together  “  ten  thousand  men  of  the  children  of 
Naphtali,  and  of  the  children  of  Zebulun,”  to  fight  with  Sisera, 
the  captain  of  Jabin’s  army.  Tabor  is  one  of  the  natural 
strongholds  of  the  land.  Its  beauty  became  proverbial.  Its 
graceful  outline  and  wooded  slopes  and  grassy  glades  made  it 
the  subject  of  universal  admiration.  Hence  Jeremiah  (xlvi.  18) 
uses  this  expression :  “  As  Tabor  among  the  mountains  and 
Carmel  by  the  sea.”  As  Hermon  was  the  representative  of  the 
mountains  in  the  north,  so  was  Tabor  of  the  south.  “  The 
north  and  the  south  thou  hast  created  them :  Tabor  and  Her¬ 
mon  shall  rejoice  in  thy  name.”  Bs.  lxxxix.  12. 

Whether  the  transfiguration  really  took  place  here,  is  a  ques¬ 
tion  that  cannot  be  satisfactorily  determined.  I  am  disposed  to 
concur  entirely  in  Hr.  Thomson’s  views  on  this  point,  as  thus 
expressed :  “  If  I  hesitate  to  admit  the  claims  of  Tabor  to  the 
honor  of  the  transfiguration,  it  is  not  from  anything  in  the 
mount  itself.  Ho  more  noble  or  appropriate  theatre  for  such  a 
glorious  manifestation  could  be  found  or  desired.  H or  does  the 
fact  that  there  may  have  been  a  village  or  a  fortress  on  the  top 
at  that  time  present  any  difficulty.  There  are  many  -secluded 
and  densely-wooded  terraces  on  the  north  and  north-east  sides 
admirably  adapted  to  the  scenes  of  the  transfiguration.  I  have 
been  delighted  to  wander  through  some  of  them,  and  certainly 


Nazareth. 


IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


139 


regretted  that  my  early  faith  in  this  site  had  been  disturbed  by 
prying  critics ;  but  after  reading  all  that  they  have  advanced 
against  the  current  tradition,  I  am  not  fully  convinced.  You 
can  examine  this  vexed  question  at  your  leisure,  and  have  as 
good  a  right  to  form  an  independent  opinion  on  it  as  anybody 
else,  for  all  that  is  known  about  it  is  found  in  Matt,  xvii., 
Mark  ix.  and  Luke  ix.,  which  you  can  see  at  a  glance  contain 
nothing  very  decisive  against  the  claims  of  Tabor.  The  topo¬ 
graphical  indications  are  very  uncertain  and  obscure.” 

On  descending  from  Mount  Tabor  we  rode  along  the  side  of 
the  intervening  mountains  to  our  camp  in  the  fields  outside  of 
the  city  of  Nazareth,  and  reached  the  camp  about  sundown, 
thoroughly  wearied  but  intensely  delighted  with  the  day’s 
excursion. 

A  Sunday  at  Nazareth. — Sunday  was  spent  in  resting  in 
our  encampment  near  the  well  outside  the  city  of  Nazareth. 
That  Sabbath  in  this  scene  of  the  youthful  days  of  our  great 
Redeemer  was  one  long  to  be  remembered.  This  locality  is  so 
full  of  sacred  associations  connected  with  the  early  life  of  Jesus, 
as  to  make  a  sojourn  here  particularly  interesting. 

An  Oriental  Funeral. — Our  tent  was  pitched  near  a 
graveyard.  The  space  was  not  enclosed,  and  only  the  raised 
mounds  and  the  rude  monumental  stones  marked  it  as  a  place 
where  the  dead  were  laid.  Just  after  breakfast  a  funeral  pro¬ 
cession  came  from  Nazareth  to  this  burial  spot.  We  drew  near 
to  witness  the  scene.  It  was  an  infant,  apparently  about  twelve 
or  eighteen  months  old,  that  was  to  be  laid  in  its  last  resting- 
place.  The  mother  bore  the  corpse  in  her  arms  to  the  grave. 
It  was  dressed  in  its  ordinary  clothes  and  wrapped  up  in  a  sort 
of  shawl  or  mantle.  When  the  grave  was  reached,  the  mother 
took  the  lifeless  form  of  her  little  one  from  the  mantle  that 
covered  it,  pressed  it  passionately  to  her  bosom,  covered  it  with 
kisses,  gazed  fondly  on  its  pale  little  face,  and  then  resigning 
it  to  those  who  stood  by,  turned  away  with  a  wild  burst  of 
touching  grief  and  went  back  to  her  desolate  home,  as  if  unable 
to  stand  and  see  her  darling  consigned  to  its  resting-place  in 


140 


ILL  USTRA  TED  RAMBLES 


the  cold,  damp  ground.  My  heart  was  deeply  moved  by  that 
poor  mother’s  sorrow,  and  I  longed  to  speak  to  her  of  that 
tender,  sympathizing  Saviour,  that  “  Jesus  of  Nazareth,”  who 
said,  “  Suffer  the  little  children  to  come  unto  me and  who, 
“when  he  had  overcome  the  sharpness  of  death,  opened  the 
kingdom  of  heaven  to  all”  infants,  as  truly  as  to  all  “be¬ 
lievers.” 

A  Union  Meeting. — There  was  no  worship  in  English  at 
Nazareth  that  day,  and  so  we  had  service  in  our  own  tent  in 
the  morning.  Three  companies  of  American  tourists  were  en¬ 
camped  at  Nazareth  on  that  Sabbath.  Our  friend  and  brother, 
the  Rev.  Dr.  March,  opened  his  tent  for  divine  service  in  the 
afternoon,  and  sent  a  kind  invitation  to  his  fellow-travellers  in 
the  other  tents  to  come  and  join  in  the  exercises.  A  company 
of  about  thirty  Americans  gathered  in  and  around  the  good 
doctor’s  tent.  Methodists,  Baptists  and  Episcopalians  were 
represented  in  that  assembly,  but  love  to  our  common  Saviour 
made  them  forget  all  minor  differences  between  them,  and  feel 
that  they  were  members  of  one  great  family  in  Jesus  Christ. 

The  Rev.  Dr.  Calhoun,  a  missionary  of  the  American  Board, 
conducted  the  meeting.  It  was  opened  with  singing  and  prayer. 
Then  a  passage  of  Scripture  was  read  which  referred  to  the 
early  life  of  Jesus  of  Nazareth.  Some  appropriate  remarks 
were  made  by  Dr.  Calhoun  on  the  passage.  After  this  it  was 
thrown  open  for  remarks  by  others.  One  after  another  spoke 
on  the  theme  presented,  so  appropriate  to  the  time  and  place. 
For  about  an  hour  and  a  half  the  exercises  were  continued  in  a 
lively  and  profitable  way,  interspersed  with  singing  and  prayer. 
Bishop  Kingsley,  of  the  Methodist  Church,  was  present  and  took 
part  in  the  services.  When  he  rose  to  speak  I  was  struck  with 
the  ruddy,  healthful  appearance  of  that  faithful  servant  of  God. 
He  seemed  like  one  of  the  strongest  and  most  robust  men  in 
that  little  company.  As  I  listened  to  the  words  of  wisdom  that 
fell  from  his  lips  on  the  afternoon  of  that  quiet  Sabbath,  how 
little  I  dreamed  that  it  was  the  last  occasion  on  which  he  was 
to  speak  in  public  for  the  honor  of  his  Master !  And  when,  not 


IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


141 


many  days  afterwards,  I  heard  of  his  sudden  and  lamented 
death  at  Beyrout,  it  brought  up  afresh  to  my  recollection  the 
memory  of  that  delightful  meeting  at  Nazareth,  with  the  sim¬ 
plicity  and  earnestness  of  his  address ;  and  I  thought,  while 
mourning  for  the  Church’s  loss,  in  the  removal  from  it  of  so 
faithful  and  devoted  a  minister  in  the  prime  of  his  days,  what  a 
blessed  change  it  was  for  him  to  pass  at  once  from  the  earthly 
to  the  heavenly  Canaan — from  the  home  of  Christ  in  the  days 
of  His  humiliation  to  His  position  in  glory  at  the  right  hand  of 
the  throne  of  God  ! 

A  Walk  about  Nazareth. — At  the  close  of  the  afternoon 
we  took  a  walk  through  the  town  of  Nazareth.  In  visiting  the 
homes  of  distinguished  persons,  we  generally  expect  to  find  inci¬ 
dents  connected  with  their  early  life ;  but  we  find  nothing  of 
this  kind  at  Nazareth.  It  has  been  well  said  by  some  one,  that 
“  there  remains  not  one  acknowledged  anecdote  of  the  life  of  Jesus 
during  all  the  thirty  years  spent  at  Nazareth.”  A  profound 
silence  rests  on  all  those  years.  We  have  just  one  glance  at 
the  boyhood  of  Jesus.  But  this  took  place  at  Jerusalem,  and 
not  at  Nazareth.  I  refer  to  the  scene  in  the  temple,  with  its 
interesting  circumstances,  as  given  in  Luke  ii.  41-52.  This 
only  increases  our  desire  to  know  more  of  the  boyhood  of  Jesus 
at  Nazareth.  But  God  has  thrown  the  veil  of  oblivion  over 
those  years,  and  we  cannot  lift  that  veil. 

The  population  of  Nazareth  is  about  4000.  It  lies  in  a  val¬ 
ley  on  the  side  of  a  hill,  answering  exactly  to  the  description 
given  by  Luke  (iv.  29)  of  the  angry  crowd  that  broke  up  the 
synagogue  service  and  “  led  Jesus  to  the  brow  of  the  hill 
whereon  the  city  was  built,  that  they  might  cast  him  down 
headlong.” 

I  have  no  faith  whatever  in  the  reputed  sacred  localities 
pointed  out  to  travellers  in  Nazareth.  There  cannot  be  a 
shadow  of  doubt  that  the  Church  of  the  Annunciation,  the  cave 
exhibited  as  the  kitchen  of  Mary,  the  ^vorkshop  of  Joseph,  the 
dining-table  of  our  Lord  and  His  apostles,  the  synagogue  where 
He  read  the  prophet  Isaiah,  and  the  hill  claimed  to  be  the 


142 


ILLUSTRATED  RAMBLES 


Mount  of  Precipitation,  two  miles  away  from  the  town,  are  alto¬ 
gether  fabulous,  and  have  no  claim  whatever  to  our  veneration 
or  respect. 

After  rambling  through  the  town,  we  climbed  up  the  hill,  or 
ridge  of  hills,  behind  it,  so  as  to  get  a  view  of  Nazareth  from 
above  and  of  the  surrounding  country.  The  elevation  of  this 
ridge  is  about  four  or  five  hundred  feet.  The  descent  immedi¬ 
ately  below  the  crest  of  the  hill  is  quite  abrupt,  so  that  it  would 
not  be  difficult  to  find  places  from  which  if  a  man  were  thrown 
over  he  would  have  a  headlong  fall.  We  sat  down  on  “  the 
brow  of  the  hill,”  at  the  quiet  sunset  hour,  to  meditate  on  the 
scene  before  us,  so  rich  in  hallowed  associations.  There  was  a 
feeling  of  intense  reality  about  everything  here.  The  Nazareth 
of  to-day  undoubtedly  occupied  the  same  locality  with  the 
Nazareth  of  eighteen  hundred  years  ago,  when  Jesus  was  on 
earth.  Over  those  fields  the  boy  Jesus  had  played  with  his 
companions.  Up  this  very  hill  doubtless  he  had  often  climbed. 
Where  we  are  sitting  he  may  have  often  sat,  and  gazed  on  this 
same  landscape  spread  out  in  beauty  before  us  now.  It  was 
pleasant,  indeed,  to  linger  on  such  a  spot  and  indulge  in  such 
thoughts.  But,  apart  from  these  associations,  the  view  from 
that  hill  behind  Nazareth  is  very  interesting.  It  is  one  of  the 
most  varied  and  extensive  that  Palestine  affords.  It  overlooks 
the  beautiful  plain  of  Esdraelon,  and  takes  in  the  snowy  peak 
of  Hermon,  the  rounded  summit  of  Tabor,  the  long,  dark  ridge 
of  Carmel,  and  beyond  it  the  white  strand  of  the  Mediterranean. 
The  recollection  of  that  scene  of  beauty,  as  we  gazed  upon  it  at 
the  sunset  hour  of  that  sweet  Sabbath,  will  long  retain  its  hold 
upon  our  memories. 

Mount  Carmel. — Nazareth  is  a  convenient  point  from  which 
to  visit  this  interesting  spot.  If  you  were  travelling  through 
the  Holy  Land,  up  from  the  south  to  the  north,  when  you  got 
about  halfway  through  your  journey  you  would  find  a  large 
range  of  mountains.  It  forms  the  western  boundary  of  the 
great  plain  of  Esdraelon.  This  range  runs  up  in  a  north¬ 
westwardly  direction  and  juts  out  into  the  sea,  as  it  appears  in 


Mount  Carmel. 


s  - 

»  • 


t 


IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


143 


our  engraving.  In  some  parts  of  this  range  the  mountains  are 
as  high  as  twelve  hundred  feet.  But  this  end  of  it,  by  the  sea¬ 
side,  which  is  Mount  Carmel,  is  only  between  five  and  six  hun¬ 
dred  feet  high. 

The  meaning  of  the  word  Carmel  is,  the  vineyard  of  God. 
By  this  the  Jews  would  understand  a  very  fruitful  vineyard. 
Carmel  used  to  be  very  fruitful  and  very  beautiful.  There  is  no 
doubt  what  the  prophet  means  when  he  speaks  of  “  the  glory  of 
Lebanon”  and  “the  excellency  of  Carmel.”  Isa.  xxxv.  2.  It 
is  not  as  fertile  as  it  used  to  be.  But  still  some  parts  of  this 
range  are  very  fertile  yet,  and  the  view  from  the  top  of  this 
Mount  Carmel  in  our  picture  is  very  beautiful.  You  have  the 
deep  blue  wraters  of  the  Mediterranean  Sea  on  one  side,  and  on 
the  other  the  rich  and  fertile  plain  of  Esdraelon,  with  the  snow¬ 
capped  summit  of  ITermon  and  the  Lebanon  mountains  ap¬ 
pearing  in  the  distance. 

In  old  times,  people  in  Eastern  countries  used  to  look  upon 
all  the  tops  of  mountains  as  sacred  places.  They  loved  to  offer 
sacrifices  and  engage  in  worship  there.  This  explains  the  many 
references  we  find  in  the  Old  Testament  to  what  are  called 
“ high  places”  The  heathen  were  fond  of  building  their  altars 
and  setting  up  the  images  of  their  idols  in  those  places. 

Mount  Carmel  was  considered  a  particularly  sacred  place. 
There  used  to  be  an  altar  to  the  God  of  Israel  on  the  top  of 
Carmel.  There  was  also  a  place  there  for  the  worship  of  the 
idol  Baal.  And  this  idea  of  its  being  a  sort  of  sacred  place  is 
still  kept  up.  In  our  picture  you  see  a  building  on  the  top  of 
the  mount.  This  is  a  convent.  There  is  a  church  also  con¬ 
nected  with  it.  This  convent  is  a  large  square  building,  with  a 
handsome  cupola.  The  monks  keep  it  as  a  sort  of  hotel  for  the 
convenience  of  travellers,  and  a  very  comfortable  place  it  is. 
The  air  is  cool  and  bracing  even  in  the  heat  of  summer.  In 
the  church  is  a  cave  in  which  it  is  said  that  Elijah  hid  himself 
from  “  that  wicked  woman  Jezebel.” 

There  never  was  a  time  in  the  history  of  Israel  when  idolatry 
prevailed  more  among  them  than  in  the  days  of  the  prophet 


144 


ILLUSTRATED  RAMBLES 


Elijah.  Ahab,  who  was  king  of  Israel  then,  was  a  very  wicked 
man,  and  had  married  a  woman  who  was  more  wicked  than 
himself.  She  was  a  great  worshipper  of  the  idol  Baal,  and 
she  did  all  she  could  to  make  the  Israelites  a  nation  of  idolators. 
She  threw  down  the  altars  of  the  God  of  Israel,  killed  his  pro¬ 
phets,  shut  up  his  temple,  and  tried  to  make  the  people  stop 
worshipping  him. 

God  was  very  angry  with  the  Israelites  for  worshipping  idols. 
He  resolved  to  punish  them  for  it.  One  of  the  ways  in  which 
He  did  this  was  by  sending  a  famine.  There  was  no  rain  in 
the  land  for  three  years  and  a  half.  This  brought  great  suf¬ 
fering  on  the  nation.  The  fields  and  gardens  all  dried  up. 
Most  of  the  cattle  died  and  the  people  were  in  great  distress. 

Then,  at  last,  God  resolved  to  show  the  people  the  folly  of 
idolatry  in  a  very  remarkable  way.  He  sent  Elijah  to  Ahab, 
to  tell  him  to  gather  all  the  people  of  Israel  together  at  Mount 
Carmel.  The  prophets  of  Baal,  too,  were  to  come  with  them. 

They  met  there  in  great  multitudes.  Elijah  proposed  a  plan 
to  them  to  prove  whether  Baal  or  Jehovah  were  the  true  God. 
He  said  :  “  Let  Baal’s  prophets  make  an  offering  to  him  on  his 
altar,  and  I  will  make  an  offering  to  the  Lord  on  his  altar. 
Let  neither  of  us  put  any  fire  under  our  offering.  Let  them 
call  on  Baal  and  I  will  call  on  the  Lord,  and  whoever  shall 
answer  our  prayer  by  sending  fire  down  from  heaven  on  the 
offering,  we  will  agree  to  acknowledge  that  he  is  the  true 
God.” 

This  was  fair  enough.  The  people  agreed  to  it.  Baal’s  pro¬ 
phets  began  first.  They  prepared  their  offering,  and  then 
prayed  a  long  time  for  the  fire  to  come.  But  none  came. 
Then  Elijah  mocked  them.  He  said,  “Pray  louder.  Perhaps 
Baal  has  gone  on  a  journey,  or  maybe  he  is  taking  a  nap  and 
needs  to  be  waked  up.”  Then  they  prayed  louder,  and  leaped 
on  their  altar  and  cut  themselves  with  knives  till  the  blood 
gushed  out.  But  yet  no  answer  came. 

Then  Elijah’s  turn  came.  He  built  up  the  altar  of  God 
which  had  been  thrown  down.  Then  he  arranged  the  offering 


IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


145 


upon  it.  When  this  was  done  he  ordered  nine  barrels  of  water 
to  be  poured  all  over  it,  so  as  to  show  that  there  was  no 
deception.  Then  he  kneeled  down  and  prayed.  And  while  he 
was  praying,  the  fire  fell  down  from  heaven  in  the  sight  of  all 
the  people.  It  licked  up  all  the  water  and  consumed  the  burnt- 
offering.  When  the  people  saw  this,  they  gave  a  great  shout 
and  cried,  “  The  Lord,  he  is  God  !  The  Lord,  he  is  God !” 

Then  Elijah  had  all  the  prophets  of  Baal  taken  at  once  and 
put  to  death.  After  this  he  resolved  to  pray  for  rain.  And  he 
fully  expected  that  the  rain  would  be  sent.  While  he  was 
praying,  he  sent  his  servant  up  the  mount  to  look  toward  the 
sea  for  signs  of  rain.  He  came  back  and  said  there  was  nothing 
to  be  seen.  Elijah  told  him  to  go  again  seven  times.  At  last 
lie  came  back  and  said  he  saw  “  a  little  cloud  arise  out  of  the 
sea,  like  a  man’s  hand.”  From  this  Elijah  knew  that  the  rain 
was  coming ;  so  he  sent  word  to  king  Ahab  to  make  haste  and 
drive  home  before  the  rain  stopped  him. 

In  the  meantime  that  little  cloud  had  spread  out  all  over  the 
heavens,  and  there  was  the  sound  of  an  abundance  of  rain. 
Ahab  had  about  twenty  miles  to  drive  to  his  home  in  the  city 
of  Jezreel.  And  Elijah  girded  up  his  clothes  and  ran  before 
the  king’s  chariot  faster  than  his  horses  could  run.  You  can 
read  all  about  this  interesting  event  in  1  Kings  xviii. 

This  incident  teaches  us  several  useful  lessons : — 

In  the  first  place  it  shows  us  that  we  never  should  he  discouraged 
in  our  efforts  to  do  good.  Elijah  got  discouraged ;  and  we  can’t 
wonder  at  it.  All  the  other  prophets  of  the  Lord  had  been 
killed,  and  he  was  left  alone.  Everybody  was  afraid  to  help 
him  or  show  him  any  favor,  while  the  king  and  the  queen  were 
set  against  him  and  were  trying  to  kill  him.  But  God  told 
him  not  to  be  discouraged,  and  sent  him  to  Mount  Carmel  to 
make  this  experiment.  He  made  it,  and  it  led  to  great  good, 
and  turned  many  of  the  people  back  to  the  Lord  their  God. 
And  so,  even  if  we  stand  alone  in  trying  to  do  good,  we  need 
not  be  afraid.  Tbe  God  of  Elijah  will  be  with  us,  as  he  was 
with  him,  and  “  if  God  he  for  us,  who  can  be  against  usf” 


146 


ILLUSTRATED  RAMBLES 


In  the  second  place,  this  subject  teaches  us  a  good  lesson  about 
the  power  of  prayer.  The  apostle  James  uses  the  example  of 
Elijah  at  Mount  Carmel  for  this  very  purpose.  James  v.  17, 18. 
He  shows  us  that  though  he  was  only  a  man,  like  other  men, 
yet  he  was  able  by  prayer  to  shut  up  the  windows  of  heaven, 
and  keep  them  shut  so  that  there  should  be  no  rain  for  three 
years  and  a  half,  and  then  to  open  them  again.  Prayer  has 
lost  none  of  its  power  since  then.  God  is  as  able  and  as  willing 
to  answer  prayer  now  as  He  was  when  Elijah  was  on  earth. 
Let  us  believe  m  the  power  of  prayer,  and  practice  this  belief. 

And  then  this  subject  teaches  us  to  show  respect  for  persons  in 
authority,  even  though  it  be  necessary  to  reprove  them  for  their 
sins.  This  was  what  Elijah  meant  to  do  by  running  before  the 
chariot  of  the  king.  This  is  done  in  Eastern  countries  to  the 
present  day.  When  in  Egypt,  I  was  much  interested  to  see 
every  carriage  in  which  a  rich  or  great  man  rode  with  an 
Arab  youth,  girded  round  the  waist  as  Elijah  was,  running 
before  it.  This  is  done  as  a  mark  of  respect  or  honor.  And  it 
was  just  this  that  Elijah  intended  to  show  towards  Aliab.  Pie 
had  been  obliged  to  reprove  him  for  the  sin  of  idolatry.  And 
then  he  wished  to  show  that,  though  he  had  done  this,  he  was 
yet  ready  to  pay  all  due  respect  to  him  as  his  king  and  ruler. 
The  same  authority  which  bids  us  “ fear  God,”  also  commands 
us  to  “  honor  the  king.”  And  we  do  this  when  we  show  respect 
to  our  rulers,  as  Elijah  did. 


CUVA  ftB  r^r  A  T  T  T 


IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


147 


CHAPTER  XII. 

FROM  NAZARETH  TO  CAPERNAUM —  CANA  OF  GALILEE  —  THE 
MOUNT  OF  BEATITUDES  —  TIBERIAS  —  THE  SEA  OF  GALILEE 
AND  ITS  RUINED  CITIES. 

Returning  to  Nazareth,  we  left  this  interesting  spot  in  the 
morning,  after  an  early  breakfast,  for  the  Lake  of  Tiberias,  on 
the  shores  of  which  we  wTere  next  to  pitch  our  tents.  It  is  an 
easy  ride  of  five  or  six  hours,  and  though  not  so  full  of  interest 
as  some  other  journeys,  it  still  led  us  through  several  places 
that  are  worthy  of  notice  by  students  of  Bible  history  and 
geography. 

Cana  of  Galilee. — The  first  of  these  that  we  came  to  in 
this  day’s  excursion  was  the  little  village  of  Kefr  Kenna.  This 
is  one  of  the  two  sites  which  set  up  rival  claims  to  be  the  “  Cana 
of  Galilee”  where  Jesus  turned  the  water  into  wine.  Though 
entering  into  no  discussion  of  the  relative  claims  of  these  two 
places,  and  presuming  not  to  determine  which  is  the  genuine 
one,  I  yet  looked  on  Kefr  Kenna  with  all  the  interest  one  would 
feel  in  such  a  locality  if  there  were  no  rival  to  its  honor.  The 
village  is  prettily  situated  on  the  side  of  a  shallow  vale.  It  has 
some  ruins  of  ancient  buildings,  and  some  tolerably  respectable 
modern  ones,  and,  above  all  places  in  this  vicinity,  abounds  in 
flourishing  orchards  of  pomegranates.  But  it  is  dirty  and 
squalid,  as  all  the  villages  of  this  country  are.  There  is  a  total 
absence  everywhere  of  those  evidences  of  thrift,  of  neatness  and 
comfort  which  we  always  connect  with  the  idea  of  country  vil¬ 
lages  in  our  own  land  or  in  England.  I  do  not  remember  to 
have  seen  a  village  in  Palestine  that  looked  much  better  than  a 
collection  of  pig-sties.  At  the  outskirts  of  the  village  we  halted 
and  dismounted  from  our  horses  by  a  well  that  yielded  an 
abundant  supply  of  clear,  sweet  water.  And  if  this  were  the 
Cana  of  the  New  Testament,  it  was  from  this  well  that  the  ser¬ 
vants  drew  the  water  used  at  the  marriage  feast  which  Jesus 
honored  by  His  presence. 


148 


ILL  USTRA  TED  RAMBLES 


Of  course  we  sought  out  the  reputed  house  in  which  the 
marriage  took  place.  The  room  in  which  Jesus  began  the 
display  of  His  wonder-working  power  is  fitted  up  as  a  chapel, 
and  two  huge  stone  vessels,  like  great  boilers,  are  shown  as  part 
of  the  identical  “  water-pots  of  stone,  containing  two  or  three 
firkins  apiece,”  in  which  was  “  the  conscious  water,  that  saw  its 
God  and  blushed.”  And  regarding  this  locality  as  the  probable 
one  where  Jesus  performed  “  this  beginning  of  miracles,  and 
manifested  forth  his  glory,”  who  could  fail  to  look  upon  it  with 
deep  and  heartfelt  interest  ? 

Dr.  Thomson  has  some  very  natural  observations  on  this 
interesting  locality,  which  may  well  be  quoted  here : — 

“  There  is  not  now  a  habitable  house  in  the  humble  village 
where  our  blessed  Lord  sanctioned  by  His  presence  and  mi¬ 
raculous  power  the  all-important  and  world-wide  institution  of 
marriage.  This  is  a  curious  fact,  and  suggests  some  most  in¬ 
structive  reflections.  Innumerable  millions,  in  their  happiest 
hours,  have  had  their  thoughts  and  hearts  directed  to  Cana. 
A  poor,  insignificant  village  indeed,  and  yet  there  is  that  about 
it  which  the  proudest  cities  on  earth  might  envy.  Nineveh  and 
Babylon,  and  a  thousand  other  names,  may  be  forgotten,  but  not 
Cana  of  Galilee.  It  may  even  come  to  pass  that  Paris  and 
London  and  New  York  will  be  dropped  out  of  mind,  and  their 
very  sites  be  lost ;  but  to  the  end  of  the  world  and  time,  when¬ 
ever  and  wherever  there  shall  be  heard  the  voice  of  the  bride¬ 
groom  and  the  voice  of  the  bride,  then  and  there  will  Cana  of 
Galilee  be  remembered.  Some  names  wTe  pronounce  with  honor, 
some  with  shame  and  sorrow,  and  many  with  cold  indifference ; 
but  Cana  will  ever  mingle  in  the  song  of  the  happy,  to  sym¬ 
bolize  the  peace  and  purity  of  domestic  happiness — the  bliss  of 
wedded  love.” 

As  wTe  rode  away  from  Cana  of  Galilee,  it  seemed  very  natural 
to  think  about  the  different  ways  in  which  Jesus  taught  the 
people  while  He  was  on  earth.  He  began  His  public  teaching 
by  His  wonderful  Sermon  on  the  Mount.  That  is  the  greatest 
sermon  that  ever  was  preached.  But  Jesus  preached  a  great 


IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


149 


many  other  sermons  besides.  He  went  about  preaching  all  the 
time.  He  taught  the  people  by  the  sermons  that  He  preached. 
He  taught  them  by  the  parables  He  delivered.  He  taught 
them  by  the  conversations  He  had  with  them,  as  He  sat  in 
their  houses  and  walked  with  them  by  the  way.  But  Jesus 
taught  the  people  by  what  He  did,  as  well  as  by  what  He  said. 
Every  miracle  was  like  a  sermon.  And  so  it  was  with  this  first 
miracle  at  Cana  of  Galilee.  Many  lessons  were  taught  by  it. 

Let  us  look  at  three  of  these  lessons. 

Here  is  a  lesson  about  the  power  of  Jesus.  There  are  the 
six  water-pots  of  stone.  They  are  filled  with  water  “  up  to 
the  brim.”  There  was  nothing  in  them  but  water.  There 
was  no  room  to  put  anything  else  in,  and  yet  in  a  moment 
all  that  water  is  turned  to  wine.  Jesus  did  not  speak  a  word. 
He  did  not  touch  the  water-pots,  nor  move  a  finger  towards 
them.  He  simply  desired  or  willed  the  water  in  them  to  turn 
to  wine,  and  immediately  what  He  wished  to  have  done  was 
done.  A  moment  ago  those  pots  were  full  of  water,  and  now 
they  are  full  of  wine.  And  it  was  the  best  wine  that  ever  was 
drank.  When  the  governor  of  the  feast  tasted  it,  he  was  sur¬ 
prised.  He  spoke  to  the  bridegroom  about  it.  He  said  that 
people  generally  gave  their  friends  the  best  wine  they  had  at 
the  beginning  of  a  feast ;  after  a  while  they  brought  out  that 
which  was  poorer ;  but  now  the  good  wine  had  been  kept  to  the 
last.  That  was  wine  that  had  no  alcohol  in  it.  It  would  not 
make  any  one  drunk  or  do  harm  in  any  way.  How  wonderful 
the  power  of  Jesus,  that  could  enable  Him  to  do  this!  When 
we  think  of  the  first  miracle,  we  may  well  remember  the  lesson 
it  teaches  us  about  the  power  of  Jesus. 

Another  lesson  which  this  miracle  teaches  us  is  about  the  love 
of  Jesus.  It  was  the  love  of  Jesus  that  made  Him  willing  to 
come  into  our  world.  And  when  He  came  into  it,  it  was  11  is 
love  that  led  Him  to  “  go  about  doing  good.”  When  we  really 
love  people,  this  feeling  will  lead  us  to  try  all  we  can  to  make 
them  happy  and  to  bless  them.  And  this  was  just  what  Jesus 
came  into  our  world  for.  This  was  what  He  remained  in  it  for 


150 


ILLUSTRATED  RAMBLES 


also.  And  in  all  the  miracles  He  performed  during  His  minis¬ 
try  He  had  just  this  end  in  view.  When  He  opened  the  eyes 
of  the  blind,  and  loosed  the  tongue  of  the  dumb,  and  unstopped 
the  ears  of  the  deaf,  and  made  the  lame  to  walk,  and  cast  out 
devils,  and  raised  the  dead  to  life  again,  it  was  all  to  show  His 
love  to  those  whom  He  came  to  save.  He  scattered  blessings 
around  Him  all  His  days  in  proof  of  His  love.  As  He  hung 
upon  the  cross,  He  stretched  out  His  hand  of  love  to  save 
the  dying  thief.  And  when  His  work  on  earth  was  finished 
and  He  was  going  back  to  heaven,  He  led  His  disciples 
out  to  the  top  of  the  Mount  of  Olives,  and  stretched  forth  His 
hands  to  bless  them  ,  and  while  He  was  blessing  them  “  a  cloud 
received  him  out  of  their  sight,”  and  He  ascended  up  to  heaven. 
Thus  we  see  how  He  began  His  work  on  earth  by  blessing- 
people,  and  He  finished  it  in  the  same  way.  And  He  made 
the  good  wine  at  Cana  of  Galilee  for  the  same  purpose.  He 
loved  the  people,  and  wanted  to  bless  them  and  make  them 
happy.  And  so  we  see  how  this  miracle  shows  us  the  love  of 
Jesus. 

Another  lesson  we  may  learn  from  this  subject  is  about  the 
necessity  of  obedience.  When  the  mother  of  Jesus  had  told  Him 
that  they  had  no  wine,  He  did  not  promise  her  to  make  it.  But 
she  seemed  to  feel  sure  that  He  would  do  it,  and  so  she  said  to 
the  servants,  “  Whatsoever  he  saith  unto  you,  do  it.”  And  so 
when  Jesus  told  the  servants  to  fill  the  water-pots  with  water, 
they  did  it.  And  when  He  told  them  to  draw  it  out  and  carry 
it  up  to  the  governor,  they  did  so.  They  obeyed  Him  in  every¬ 
thing  that  He  said.  And  it  was  while  they  were  obeying  Jesus 
that  He  turned  the  water  into  wine.  If  they  had  not  obeyed 
Him,  we  have  no  reason  to  suppose  that  He  would  have  made 
any  wine.  Let  us  remember  this.  Let  us  learn  this  lesson  of 
obedience,  and  while  we  are  trying  to  obey  Him,  He  will  bless 
us  and  do  us  good  in  many  ways.  He  can  turn  the  water  of 
our  sorrow  and  trouble  into  the  wine  of  joy.  The  way  of  obe¬ 
dience  is  the  way  of  blessing.  Let  us  pray  that  God  may  help 
us  to  walk  in  this  way,  and  then  it  will  be  well  with  us. 


IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


151 


The  Tomb  of  Jonah. — Shortly  after  leaving  Cana,  we  passed 
a  little  village  called  Mashhad,  with  a  striking  wely,  or  domed 
pillar.  This  name  Mashhad  is  given  to  the  tomb  or  shrine  of 
some  saint  or  prophet  where  the  people  are  accustomed  to 
assemble  for  worship.  A  very  old  tradition — received  alike  by 
Christians  and  Moslems — declares  this  to  be  the  tomb  of  Jonah 
the  prophet.  If  this  be  so,  then  this  village  must  occupy  the 
site  of  Gathhepher,  which  was  Jonah’s  place  of  birth  and 
residence. 

“  The  Mount  of  Beatitudes.” — About  an  hour  after  this 
we  passed  along  the  base  of  a  saddle-shaped  hill  on  our  left, 
which  the  Arabs  call  Kurun  Hattin  (“  the  Horns  of  Hattin”). 
This  is  the  traditional  “  Mount  of  Beatitudes,”  where  our  Sa¬ 
viour  delivered  His  wonderful  “  Sermon  on  the  Mount.”  It  is 
a  smooth,  green  mount,  easy  of  ascent  and  very  eligible  for  such 
a  purpose.  The  plain  around  the  foot  of  the  mount  was  car¬ 
peted  with  flowers  of  every  hue,  presenting  a  very  beautiful 
appearance.  And  if  it  was  in  the  spring  season  that  that  ser¬ 
mon  was  preached,  then,  when  the  “  great  teacher  wished  to  use 
His  illustration  about  the  flowers,”  He  had  only  to  point  to  the 
multitudes  blooming  around  when  He  said  :  “  Consider  the  lilies 
of  the  field,  how  they  grow ;  they  toil  not,  neither  do  they  spin : 
and  yet  I  say  unto  you,  that  even  Solomon  in  all  his  glory  was 
not  arrayed  like  one  of  these.” 

In  Acts  iii.  26,  when  the  apostle  Peter  was  telling  the  Jews 
what  Jesus  came  into  the  world  for,  he  says :  “  Unto  you  first 
God,  having  raised  up  his  son  Jesus,  sent  him  to  bless  you  ” 
And  if  we  bear  this  saying  of  Peter  in  mind  while  we  read  the 
first  part  of  this  wonderful  sermon  on  the  mount,  it  will  make 
it  seem  much  more  interesting  to  us.  This  was  the  first  sermon 
that  Jesus  preached.  And  the  first  word  with  which  this  ser¬ 
mon  began  was  the  word  “  blessed.”  And  then  He  repeated 
this  word,  not  two  or  three  times  only,  but  nine  times.  In  the 
first  eleven  verses  of  this  chapter,  Jesus  speaks  about  nothing 
else  but  blessings.  It  seems  as  if  He  was  burdened  with  the 
blessings  He  had  brought  for  those  He  came  to  save.  His 


152 


ILLUSTRATED  RAMBLES 


heart  was  full  of  them.  He  could  speak  of  nothing  else  till  He 
had  spoken  freely  of  these.  And  as  we  read  these  all  over,  one 
by  one,  how  beautiful  they  seem !  They  appear  like  a  bouquet 
of  fragrant  flowers,  or  like  a  casket  of  rich  and  sparkling  jewels. 
How  tender  and  loving  the  heart  of  Jesus  must  have  been,  when 
He  could  begin  His  ministry  among  the  very  people  who  He 
knew  would  revile  Him  and  persecute  Him  and  put  Him  to  a 
cruel  death,  by  speaking  first  of  all  these  great  and  glorious 
blessing's !  How  natural  and  proper  it  is  to  speak  of  the  mount 
on  which  all  these  wonderful  words  are  supposed  to  have  been 
spoken  as  “  The  Mount  of  Beatitudes ,”  or  “  The  Mount  of 
Blessings.” 

There  is  a  level  space  of  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  in  extent 
on  the  top  of  the  mount.  So  there  would  have  been  plenty  of 
room  there  for  the  disciples  and  others  who  gathered  round 
Him  to  listen  to  the  gracious  words  which  fell  from  His 
blessed  lips. 

The  Battle  of  Hattin. — This  locality  was  the  scene  of  a 
very  different  transaction  from  that  which  took  place  when,  if 
the  tradition  be  true,  “  the  Prince  of  Peace”  gathered  His  fol¬ 
lowers  around  Him  here  in  calm  tranquillity,  to  be  instructed 
in  the  principles  of  His  peaceful  kingdom.  Here,  during  the 
time  of  the  Crusades,  a  sanguinary  battle,  and  one  very  dis¬ 
astrous  to  the  soldiers  of  the  cross,  took  place  in  the  year  1187. 
The  Christian  army  was  commanded  by  the  king  of  Jerusalem. 
The  Turks  were  led  by  their  famous  sultan,  Saladin.  The 
immediate  cause  of  the  battle  was  a  gross  infraction  of  the 
existing  truce  by  one  of  the  Christian  leaders,  Baynold  of  Cha- 
tillon.  He  had  plundered  a  Damascus  caravan,  and  refused  to 
give  up  either  the  merchants  or  the  merchandise  on  the  demand 
of  the  sultan.  The  battle  was  fierce  and  bloody,  but  ended  in 
the  total  defeat  of  the  Christians.  A  shattered  remnant  of  their 
host  gathered  around  their  king  and  the  standard  of  the  cross, 
and  withdrew  to  the  summit  of  Hill  Hattin.  Bushing  down 
from  the  heights,  they  vainly  sought  to  scatter  their  enemies. 
The  bravest  fell  fighting ;  the  remnant  left  were  all  made 


Sea 


of  Galilee  and  Tiberias. 


P.  153. 


IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


153 


prisoners,  including  the  king,  the  Grand  Master  of  the  Tem¬ 
plars  and  Raynold  of  Chatillon,  the  cause  of  the  conflict,  who 
was  put  to  death  by  order  of  Saladin. 

The  Sea  of  Galilee. — This  was  the  next  object  of  interest 
before  us.  Pursuing  our  way,  while  still  in  full  view  of  the 
“  Mount  of  Beatitudes,”  we  caught  our  first  sight  of  the  waters 
of  this  miniature  sea,  around  which  gathers  so  much  that  is 
interesting  in  the  history  of  our  Saviour’s  life.  From  the  point 
where  it  first  burst  upon  our  view  we  had  a  descent  of  about  a 
thousand  feet  to  make  before  we  reached  our  camping-ground 
on  the  shores  of  the  lake  not  far  from  the  walls  of  Tiberias. 

And  how  did  this  most  classic  spot  in  sacred  history  strike 
you,  as  you  first  gazed  upon  it  ?  some  may  be  ready  to  ask.  I 
answer,  very  pleasantly.  It  has  not  the  natural  beauty  of 
Lake  George,  nor  the  luxuriant  grandeur  of  some  of  our  Adi¬ 
rondack  lakes.  And  yet  it  is  very  beautiful.  Murray  speaks 
of  it  as  dreary ;  but  that  was  by  no  means  the  impression  it 
made  on  my  mind.  It  is  thirteen  miles  long  and  six  miles 
broad.  On  the  west  side  the  hills  of  Galilee — not  crowned  with 
trees,  indeed,  yet  robed  in  verdure — slope  gracefully  down  to 
the  margin  of  its  waters ;  on  the  east  side  the  bold  hills  of  Ga- 
dara  rise  steeply  from  the  waters ;  while  far  away,  beyond  its 
northern  point,  the  lofty  Hermon  lifts  its  majestic  form  towards 
heaven,  with  its  summit  wrapped  in  snow.  When  we  first 
looked  on  its  placid  waters,  as  we  came  down  the  mountain’s 
side,  they  were  as  smooth  as  a  sea  of  glass ;  but  by  the  time  we 
reached  the  shore  a  fresh  wind  had  sprung  up,  and  the  white- 
capped  waves  were  rolling  up  on  the  pebbly  beach.  After 
resting  a  while  from  the  fatigue  of  the  journey,  and  while 
waiting  for  our  dinner,  we  took  a  stroll  into  the  adjoining  city. 
Our  engraving  on  the  opjiosite  page  gives  a  moonlight  view  of 
Tiberias  and  the  lake. 

Tiberias. — Tiberias  is  only  mentioned  once  in  the  New  Tes¬ 
tament  (John  vi.  23).  It  was  founded  by  Herod  Antipas,  the 
murderer  of  John  the  Baptist,  a  few  years  before  our  Saviour 
began  His  public  ministry.  Ilerod  named  it  in  honor  of  his 


154 


ILLUSTRATED  RAMBLES 


friend  and  patron,  Tiberias,  the  Roman  governor.  It  was  a 
town  of  considerable  importance  in  the  days  of  our  Saviour, 
and  derived  its  subsistence  chiefly  from  the  fisheries  upon  the 
lake,  on  the  west  side  of  which  it  was  situated.  Jesus  was  often 
near  this  city,  but  we  are  not  sure  that  He  ever  entered  it.  It 
was  built  on  a  spot  that  had  formerly  been  occupied  as  a  ceme¬ 
tery.  For  this  reason  the  Jews  were  not  willing  to  go  into  it, 
because,  when  they  touched  a  dead  body  or  the  place  where 
such  a  body  was  laid,  they  were  taught  by  their  religion  to  con¬ 
sider  themselves  as  unclean. 

Tiberias  is  a  walled  town  of  some  2000  inhabitants,  but  the 
walls  are  in  a  very  dilapidated  condition.  They  were  rent  and 
shattered  by  an  earthquake  in  1837,  and  have  never  been  re¬ 
built.  The  inhabitants  are  chiefly  Mahommedans,  and  it  does 
not  accord  with  their  views  either  of  philosophy  or  religion  to 
repair  such  ruins.  The  earthquake  which  caused  the  ruin  in 
their  estimation  was  an  expression  of  the  will  of  Allah,  and  to 
repair  those  ruins  would  be  to  go  contrary  to  that  will ;  and  so 
the  ruins  are  left  untouched.  There  is  a  little  chapel  here 
which  bears  the  name  of  the  apostle  Peter,  and  in  which  are 
preserved  many  reputed  relics  of  the  apostle.  Of  all  the  filthy 
places  to  be  seen  in  this  deserted  land,  I  think  Tiberias  is,  with¬ 
out  exception,  the  most  filthy.  AVe  attempted  to  walk  through, 
the  streets  of  the  town,  but  so  intolerable  were  the  filth  and 
stench  that  met  us  at  every  step  that  we  were  obliged  to  give  it 
up  and  beat  a  hasty  retreat,  fairly  driven  off  by  the  heaps  of 
accumulated  offal  that  lay  reeking  in  the  sun. 

A  Sail  on  the  Lake. — We  left  Tiberias  after  an  early 
breakfast  in  the  morning,  to  proceed  to  the  upper  end  of  the 
lake.  There  are  two  ways  of  accomplishing  this  journey;  one 
is  by  proceeding  on  horseback  round  the  shores  of  the  lake,  and 
the  other  by  taking  a  boat  and  sailing  up  the  lake,  and  having 
your  horses  go  round  to  meet  you  there.  We  preferred,  de¬ 
cidedly,  to  take  the  latter  course.  So  we  hired  a  fisherman’s 
boat,  with  a  couple  of  men  to  row  us.  It  was  probably  some 
such  a  boat  as  the  apostles  used,  and  it  was  for  this  reason  that 


IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


155 


I  preferred  to  take  the  journey  by  water.  I  felt  that  there  was 
a  great  charm  in  embarking  on  the  “  Sea  of  Galilee”  in  this 
primitive  way.  Our  object  in  doing  this  was  not  only  to  enjoy 
the  sail  on  those  sacred  waters,  but  at  the  same  time  to  be  in 
the  best  position  for  indulging  the  thoughts  that  are  so  naturally 
suggested  in  this  hallowed  locality,  and  the  associations  that  do 
so  cluster  around  it. 

It  was  a  very  pleasant  morning,  and  the  sail  was  in  itself  de¬ 
lightful.  Our  boat  was  provided  with  a  sail,  but  it  was  too 
calm  to  use  it,  and  indeed  what  little  wind  there  was  came 
directly  down  the  lake,  so  that  we  had  to  make  our  way  right 
in  the  face  of  it.  Our  boatmen,  therefore,  like  the  apostles  of 
old,  were  obliged  to  be  “  toiling  in  rowing ,”  to  enable  us  to 
accomplish  our  journey.  It  took  between  three  and  four  hours 
of  hard,  continuous  rowing  to  bring  us  to  the  upper  end  of  the 
lake. 

In  form  this  body  of  water  is  a  sort  of  elongated  ellipse.  Its 
dimensions  are  twelve  or  thirteen  miles  in  length,  and  from  six 
to  nine  in  breadth  at  its  widest  parts.  The  basin  which  it 
occupies  is  remarkably  depressed,  being  not  less  than  six  hun¬ 
dred  feet  below  the  level  of  the  Mediterranean  Sea.  From  the 
mountains  which  surround  it  the  winds  rush  down  suddenly 
and  with  great  violence.  A  recent  traveller  says :  “  We  pitched 
our  tents  on  the  shore,  and  remained  for  three  days  and  nights 
exposed  to  the  fury  of  one  of  those  tremendous  winds.  We  had 
to  double-pin  all  the  tent-ropes,  and  frequently  were  obliged  to 
hang  with  our  whole  weight  upon  them  to  keep  the  quivering 
tabernacle  from  being  carried  bodily  into  the  air.  No  wonder 
the  disciples  toiled  and  rowed  hard  all  night  when  such  a  wind 
was  blowing.  The  whole  lake  before  us  was  lashed  into  fury, 
and  the  waves  repeatedly  rolled  up  to  our  tent  door,  tumbling- 
over  the  ropes  Avith  such  violence  as  to  carry  away  the  tent- 
pins.”  It  was  some  such  wind  as  this  that  overtook  the  vessel 
on  which  our  Saviour  was  embarked,  and  rolled  the  Avaves  in 
upon  it,  “so  that  it  Avas  now  full,”  while  Jesus  Avas  asleep  on 
the  hinder  part  of  the  ship.  Then  followed  the  alarming  cry, 


156 


ILLUSTRATED  RAMBLES 


“  Master,  master,  carest  tliou  not  that  we  perish  ?”  and  the  quiet 
utterance  of  those  wondrous  words,  “  Peace,  be  still !”  with  the 
instant  calm  they  brought  upon  that  stormy  scene. 

The  Ruins  of  Capernaum. — These  ruins,  with  the  upper 
end  of  the  lake,  are  well  represented  by  the  engraving  on  the 
opposite  page.  On  reaching  the  upper  end  of  the  lake,  we 
landed  and  wandered  around  among  the  ruins  there  with 
peculiarly  solemn  feelings.  It  is  impossible  to  determine  with 
any  accuracy  the  site  of  the  different  cities  of  Capernaum,  Cho- 
razin  and  Bethsaida.  We  know  that  they  lay  close  together  at 
the  upper  part  of  the  lake,  and  their  ruins  seem  to  blend  in  one 
common  mass.  These  ruins  lie  scattered  over  the  space  of 
several  miles.  Among  them  are  fine  specimens  of  delicately- 
sculptured  columns,  which,  as  relics  of  artistic  antiquity,  would 
enrich  any  museum.  A o  sight  or  sound  of  life  appears,  but  the 
most  utter  desolation  prevails.  The  fearful  woes  pronounced 
by  Jesus  on  those  over-favored  but  guilty  cities  seem  to  have 
rested  on  them  and  clung  to  them  all  alike.  Their  candlestick 
has  been  removed,  and  overwhelming  ruin  has  come  down  upon 
them.  They  were  “  exalted  to  heaven,  but  they  have  been 
thrust  down  to  hell.” 

The  scenery  around  this  lake  is  most  deeply  interesting  and 
affecting.  Nothing  that  I  saw  in  Palestine  moved  me  so  much 
as  my  visit  to  the  shores  of  the  Sea  of  Galilee.  And  this  is 
natural  enough,  when  we  reflect  how  closely  connected  it  is 
with  the  scenes  of  our  Saviour’s  history.  Just  think  how  many 
interesting  events  in  the  life  of  Jesus  took  place,  either  at 
Capernaum  or  in  its  vicinity,  on-tlie  shores  of  this  lake ! 

It  was  here,  on  leaving  Nazareth,  that  He  came  and  dwelt 
(Matt.  iv.  13) ;  it  was  this  which  was  called  “  his  own  city ” 
(Matt.  ix.  1)  ;  it  was  here  He  began  to  preach  (Matt.  iv.  17), 
and  it  was  here  that  He  afterwards  taught  and  preached  more 
frequently  than  elsewhere  (Mark  ix.  33-50) ;  it  was  here  that 
He  healed  the  sick  and  cast  out  devils,  and  made  the  fish  of  the 
sea  furnish  Him  with  tribute  money  (Matt.  xvii.  24—27),  and 
taught  in  their  synagogues  and  from  house  to  house  with  a 


Capernaum.  p.  156. 


IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


157 


power  and  authority  that  filled  all  who  heard  Him  with  aston¬ 
ishment.  Jesus  said  Capernaum  was  “  exalted  to  heaven.”  It 
was  the  same  with  the  other  cities.  This  refers  particularly  to 
the  fact  that  Jesus  spent  so  much  of  His  time  there.  It  was  a 
great  privilege  to  he  permitted  to  hear  Him  preach,  and  to  see 
the  miracles  that  He  performed.  This  seemed  to  bring  heaven 
very  near  them.  It  raised  them,  as  it  were,  to  its  very  gate.  It 
would  have  been  very  easy  for  them  to  step  in.  And  this  is  the 
way  in  which  the  people  of  Capernaum  were  “  exalted  to  heaven .” 

But  Jesus  declared  that  a  great  change  was  to  come  over  that 
city.  He  said  it  should  “  he  brought  down  to  hell.”  This  does 
not  mean  that  all  the  inhabitants  of  that  city  should  lose  their 
souls  and  perish  forever.  It  only  means  that  the  city  which 
had  been  so  very  much  prospered  should  lose  its  prosperity  and 
be  brought  to  the  lowest  place  among  cities.  Being  “  exalted 
to  heaven”  only  meant  the  privileges  and  prosperity  which  the 
people  of  this  city  enjoyed,  and  so  being  “  brought  down  to  hell  ” 
only  denoted  the  loss  of  their  prosperity  and  blessings.  Their 
privileges,  wealth  and  other  blessings  were  to  be  taken  from 
them,  and  they  were  to  sink  as  low  among  cities  as  they  had 
formerly  been  exalted. 

And  these  words  of  our  Saviour  were  wonderfully  fulfilled. 
In  the  wars  between  the  Jews  and  the  Romans  these  cities  were 
utterly  destroyed.  And  so  they  have  remained  ever  since. 
And  now  it  is  impossible  to  tell  where  Capernaum  was,  or  either 
of  the  other  cities  that  stood  near  it.  There  are  broken  columns 
and  other  ruins  scattered  all  about  the  shores  of  the  lake  where 
it  is  supposed  that  these  cities  once  stood.  I  remember  when 
we  yisited  this  spot  that  we  sat  down  on  some  of  the  broken 
ruins  to  think  of  what  Jesus  had  said  about  Capernaum,  and 
how  wonderfully  all  that  He  said  had  come  to  pass.  The  lesson 
which  this  subject  teaches  us  is  the  importance  of  valuing  and 
improving  our  privileges,  and  the  certainty  of  losing  them  if  we 
do  not. 

As  I  sailed  over  the  waters  of  this  sea  or  rambled  on  its  deso¬ 
late  shores,  I  seemed  to  see  the  compassionate  Saviour  laboring 


158 


ILLUSTRATED  RAMBLES 


by  His  stupendous  miracles  and  His  majestic  teaching  to  do 
good  to  the  eager  multitudes  that  crowded  around  Him.  I 
thought,  too,  of  that  stormy  night  when  the  disciples  were 
“toiling  in  rowing,  for  the  wind  was  contrary.  And  in  the 
fourth  watch  of  the  night” — or  just  before  morning — “  Jesus 
went  unto  them,  walking  on  the  water.”  I  thought  of  the 
terror  of  the  disciples  when  they  cried  out  with  fear,  supposing 
it  was  a  spirit ;  and  of  the  cheering  voice  of  Jesus  when  He 
said,  “  It  is  I;  be  not  afraid.”  I  thought  of  impulsive  Peter, 
asking  permission  to  go  to  his  master  walking  on  the  water. 
He  walked  a  few  steps,  then,  frightened  by  the  stormy  waves, 
was  beginning  to  sink,  when  Jesus  caught  him  by  the  hand, 
and  said,  “  O  thou  of  little  faith,  wherefore  didst  thou  doubt?” 

And  after  His  death  I  imagined  the  disappointed  disciples 
returning  to  their  old  haunts  and  occupations.  I  remembered 
the  apostolic  party  that  went  a-fishing.  I  thought  of  the 
stranger  they  saw  standing  on  the  beach,  and  of  His  inquiry  of 
them,  “  Children,  have  ye  any  meat  ?”  of  His  direction  to  them 
to  cast  the  net  on  the  right  side  of  the  ship ;  of  the  great  multi¬ 
tude  of  fishes  immediately  caught ;  of  John’s  exclamation, 
prompted  by  his  quick-discerning  love,  “  It  is  the  Lord ;”  of 
impulsive  Peter,  girding  on  his  coat  and  jumping  overboard, 
that  he  might  be  the  first  to  hail  his  master ;  of  the  fire  of  coals 
on  the  shore,  with  the  food  prepared ;  of  the  invitation  given 
and  accepted  to  come  and  dine ;  of  the  wondering  emotions  of 
the  astonished  circle,  and  of  the  searching  appeal  to  Peter, 
“Simon,  son  of  Jonas,  lovest  thou  me  more  than  these?”  of  the 
honest-hearted  response,  “  Lord,  thou  knowest  all  things,  thou 
knowest  that  I  love  thee,”  and  the  solemn  .injunction,  “  Feed  my 
lambs ;  feed  my  sheep ;”  and  with  thoughts  like  these  passing 
through  the  mind,  it  is  easier  to  imagine  than  describe  the 
feeling  of  deep  and  sacred  awe  with  which  the  whole  scene  was 
contemplated. 

We  lunched  on  the  shores  of  the  lake,  amidst  the  suggestive 
ruins  of  Capernaum,  and  then  went  on  our  way. 


IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


159 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

FROM  CAPERNAUM  TO  DAMASCUS — A  DESOLATE  COUNTRY — AIN 
MELAHAH — A  RELISHABLE  DRAUGHT — BANIAS — MOUNT  HER- 
MON — DAMASCUS. 

From  Capernaum  to  Banias. — This  journey  occupied  us 
the  greater  part  of  two  days.  Our  last  chapter  ended  at  lunch¬ 
time  amidst  the  ruins  of  Capernaum,  after  our  interesting  sail 
up  the  lake  and  our  musings  over  the  supposed  sites  of  the  cities 
among  whose  people  Jesus  spent  so  much  of  His  time.  Like 
most  travellers,  we  found  the  Sea  of  Galilee  full  of  special  inte¬ 
rest  and  attraction,  and  were  exceedingly  loath  to  turn  our 
backs  on  a  scene  so  full  of  sweet  and  sacred  associations,  and  so 
truly  classic  to  the  thoughtful  student  of  the  Bible.  But  we 
had  given  to  it  all  the  time  that  our  arrangements  allowed,  and 
so,  lunch  being  ended,  we  mounted  and  were  again  under  way. 

A  Desolate  Country.- — On  leaving  the  Sea  of  Galilee,  our 
road  lay  across  the  mountains  that  surround  the  lake  on  the 
north.  It  is  a  rough  and  dreary-looking  country.  The  road  is 
a  mere  bridle-path,  such  as  you  find  in  making  the  ascent  of 
Mount  Washington.  And  most  of  the  roads  through  this 
country  are  of  the  same  character.  I  often  used  to  think  what 
Solomon  and  the  kings  that  followed  him  did  with  their  cha¬ 
riots.  There  would  be  very  little  opportunity  for  the  use  of 
such  vehicles  now. 

We  were  occupied  about  two  hours  in  making  the  ascent  of 
these  mountains ;  then  we  rode  for  three  hours  more  through 
the  rich  and  fertile  fields  that  formerly  belonged  to  the  tribe  of 
Naphtali.  As  we  rode  on  through  the  luxuriant  portion  of  this 
favored  tribe,  I  thought  how  well  “  Moses,  the  man  of  God,” 
might  say,  in  his  parting  benediction,  “  O  Naphtali,  satisfied 
with  favor,  and  full  with  the  blessing  of  the  Lord,  possess  thou  the 
west  and  the  south.”  Deut.  xxxiii.  23.  The  blessing  lingers 
in  Naphtali’s  portion  still.  And  yet,  in  the  whole  day’s  ride, 
no  village,  no  house,  nor  hut,  nor  cabin,  nor  barn,  nor  sign  of 


160 


ILL  USTRA  TED  RA  MBLES 


human  habitation,  appeared.  Some  portions  of  the  land  are 
cultivated,  and  luxuriant  fields  of  waving  grain  are  seen ;  hut 
this  is  the  work  of  non-residents.  No  one  lives  on  those  smiling 
fields ;  neither  life  nor  property  would  be  safe  there.  Some 
wretched  Arabs  come  from  beyond  Jordan  and  pitch  their  tents 
here  for  a  few  days.  With  their  simple,  primitive  ploughs  they 
scratch  up  a  portion  of  the  land  and  sow  it.  Then  they  dis¬ 
appear  till  harvest  time.  When  the  grain  is  ripe  they  come 
and  reap  it  (if  some  one  else  does  not  save  them  the  trouble), 
and  then  they  go  away  again.  A  mournful  and  solitary  silence 
reigns  over  the  country.  Nature  has  lavished  on  it  some  of  its 
choicest  gifts,  but  man  has  deserted  it.  Ruins  are  numerous 
enough.  Every  mile  or  two  is  the  old  site  of  some  town  or 
village,  now  well-nigh  hidden  beneath  a  jungle  of  thorns  and 
thistles.  How  wonderfully  God’s  threatenings  have  been  ful¬ 
filled  in  the  experience  of  this  land  !  Face  never  answered  to 
face  in  a  glass  more  strikingly  than  the  present  condition  of  this 
country  answers  to  the  recorded  predictions  of  God’s  word  con¬ 
cerning  it.  Here  is  one  of  these  predictions  as  a  sample :  “  I 
will  make  your  cities  waste,  and  bring  your  sanctuaries  unto 
desolation.  .  .  .  And  I  will  bring  the  land  into  desolation :  and 
your  enemies  who  dwell  therein  shall  be  astonished  at  it.” 
Levit.  xxvi.  31,  32. 

About  six  o’clock  in  the  evening  we  came  in  sight  of  our 
tents,  which  had  been  pitched  in  advance  for  us.  After  a 
fatiguing  journey  of  eleven  hours,  it  was  a  pleasant  sight  to  see 
the  place  where  we  were  to  tarry  for  the  night.  We  were  pre¬ 
pared  to  be  in  thorough  sympathy  with  Issacher,  when,  as  the 
dying  patriarch  said,  “  he  saw  that  rest  was  good”  Gen.  xlix. 
15.  “Ain  Melahah ”  was  the  name  of  our  stopping-place  for 
that  night.  It  is  not  a  familiar  name  to  Bible  readers,  nor  does 
it  occur  in  connection  with  any  of  the  events  of  Scripture  his¬ 
tory.  It  is  a  fountain,  one  of  the  largest  in  the  country,  with 
the  ruins  of  an  old  mill  near  it,  in  a  wild  part  of  the  country, 
and  forms  the  usual  resting-place  of  travellers  between  Tiberias 
and  Banias. 


IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


161 


A  Relishable  Draught. — Lemonade  was  our  favorite  drink 
while  journeying  through  this  country.  After  the  fatigue  of  a 
long,  hot  ride,  while  resting  in  our  tents  and  waiting  for  dinner, 
we  were  in  the  habit  of  calling  on  our  Italian  steward,  Do- 
minicho,  and  asking  him  to  prepare  for  each  of  us  a  glass  of  this 
refreshing  beverage.  We  did  so  this  evening.  In  due  time  it 
was  brought,  and  we  enjoyed  it,  as  usual.  While  we  were 
sipping  it  deliberately,  one  of  our  companions  from  the  ad¬ 
joining  tent  came  in  and  sat  chatting  with  us  till  we  had 
exhausted  the  contents  of  our  glasses.  While  this  v7as  going 
on,  an  occasional  twinkle  of  his  eye  seemed  to  indicate  that  he 
had  something  to  say  which  might  interest  us.  At  length  he 
said :  “  I  thought  it  a  pity  to  mar  your  enjoyment  of  the 
lemonade.  But  now7  that  you  have  finished  it,  there  is  a  little 
item  of  information  that  I  feel  tempted  to  communicate.  I 
happened  to  be  over  at  the  cook’s  tent  when  Dominicho 
came  to  execute  your  order,  and  I  will  tell  you  how  this 
delightful  beverage  was  prepared.  You  know  that  little  iron 
wash-basin  in  which  the  men  perform  their  ablutions  ?  Well, 
he  mixed  the  lemonade  in  that,  and  then  strained  it  through 
his  fingers  !”  Where  ignorance  is  bliss,  how  unfortunate  to 
be  wTise ! 

The  scenery  around  this  camping-ground  is  very  fine.  Not 
far  off  is  a  lake,  “  the  wTaters  of  Merom  ”  of  the  Old  Testament, 
near  where  Joshua  fought  and  conquered  Jabin,  king  of  IJazor, 
as  w7e  read  in  Joshua  xi.  6-10.  Across  the  lake  is  the  fine 
range  of  the  hills  of  Bashan,  and  the  beautiful  snow-clad  Her- 
mon  is  in  full  view.  The  guide-book  says,  “  The  things  that 
most  prevail  at  Ain  Melahah  are  malaria  from  the  marsh 
around  the  lake,  and  wild  hogs” 

We  passed  a  comfortable  night,  however,  without  a  visit  from 
the  hogs,  and,  as  the  result  proved,  without  the  experience  of 
any  harm  from  the  malaria.  The  season  was  too  early  to 
apprehend  inconvenience  from  that  source ;  but  in  August  or 
September  a  night’s  encampment  at  Ain  Melahah  would  doubt¬ 
less  involve  much  more  risk. 

11 


162 


ILLUSTRATED  RAMBLES 


Banias,  or  CiESAREA  Philippi. — We  left  Ain  Melahah 
after  an  early  breakfast  the  next  morning,  and  arrived  here, 
about  three  o’clock  in  the  afternoon.  Our  ride  all  day  was 
through  a  very  rich  and  fertile  country,  much  better  in  this 
respect  than  any  other  portion  of  the  land  we  had  seen. 
Beautiful  streams  of  water — fed  by  the  melting  snows  of  Her- 
mon — are  flowing  everywhere  in  this  part  of  the  land.  The 
pleasant  sound  of  rushing  waters  was  in  our  ears  nearly  all  the 
day. 

We  stopped  to  lunch  at  noon  by  the  side  of  a  fountain  called 
Tell-el-Kady.  It  issues  from  the  foot  of  a  hill,  and  sends  forth  a 
copious  stream  of  water,  that  constitutes  one  of  the  sources  of 
the  Jordan.  And  so,  having  seen  this  sacred  river  at  its  ter¬ 
minus  by  the  Dead  Sea,  we  saw  it  here  at  one  of  its  remotest 
sources.  We  drank  freely  of  the  fountain,  for  its  water  was  the 
coolest  and  pleasantest  we  had  found  in  the  land. 

Near  by  this  fountain  the  ancient  city  of  Dan  was  situated, 
where  Jeroboam  set  up  the  calf  for  Israel  to  worship.  It  was 
one  of  the  most  northern  cities  of  the  land ;  and  as  Beersheba 
was  in  the  extreme  south,  the  phrase  “  from  Dan  to  Beersheba” 
came  into  use  as  the  familiar  way  of  denoting  the  whole  length 
of  the  land. 

The  Situation  of  Banias. — In  the  time  of  our  Saviour  it  was  a 
large  and  splendid  town,  but  since  then  it  has  met  with  many 
changes.  The  grand  buildings  have  all  been  destroyed,  and 
the  crowds  of  people  who  used  to  live  here  have  all  passed 
away.  The  present  village  of  Banias  is  very  small.  There  are 
only  some  forty  or  fifty  wretched-looking  houses  in  the  place, 
with  a  very  few  inhabitants.  But  though  the  town  itself  has 
changed  so  much,  the  situation  in  which  it  lies  is  very  beautiful 
and  very  interesting. 

The  village  is  situated  on  a  plain  in  a  valley  at  the  foot  of 
Mount  Hermon.  This  great  mountain  rises  up  seven  or  eight 
thousand  feet  above  the  town,  and  the  top  of  it  is  covered  with 
snow.  This  gives  it  p  ’Very  beautiful  appearance.  And  then 
not  far  from  the  town  is  a  great  cave  or  grotto,  out  of  which  a 


IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


163 


large  fountain  of  water  gushes  forth.  The  water  which  forms 
this  fountain  is  supplied  by  the  melting  snow  on  the  toj>  of 
Mount  Hermon.  It  rushes  out  in  sufficient  quantity  to  make  a 
good-sized  stream.  This  stream  flows  away,  and  forms  one  of 
the  chief  sources  of  the  river  Jordan.  And  as  the  water  from 
this  fountain  flows  through  the  plain  and  valley  near  Tanias,  it 
makes  the  land  fertile.  You  see  fields  of  waving  grain,  with 
vines  and  fig  trees  and  olive  trees  growing  everywhere,  and 
making  the  country  all  around  look  very  beautiful. 

And  then  there  is  much  that  is  interesting  in  the  history  of 
Banias.  It  is  not  mentioned  in  the  Old  Testament.  Some 
people,  indeed,  think  that  it  is  the  same  place  that  is  spoken  of 
several  times  in  the  book  of  Joshua  as  Baal-Gad ;  but  there  is 
no  certainty  about  this.  We  know,  however,  that  it  was  first 
called  Panium,  or  Paneas ;  and  it  received  this  name  from  the 
word  Pan,  one  of  the  idol  gods  that  was  worshipped  among  the 
heathen.  He  was  represented  as  half  man  and  half  goat,  and 
was  especially  worshipped  by  shepherds.  In  the  cave  or  grotto 
of  which  we  have  spoken,  near  Banias,  there  used  to  be  an  altar 
that  was  employed  in  the  worship  of  this  god  Pan.  This  gave 
the  name  of  Paneas  to  the  town  that  was  near  to  it. 

In  the  New  Testament  this  place  is  called  Caesarea  Philippi. 
It  was  in  the  part  of  the  country  that  was  ruled  over  by  Philip, 
tetrarch  of  Trachonitis,  who  is  spoken  of  in  Luke  iii.  1.  He 
enlarged  the  city,  and  built  beautiful  temples  and  palaces  in  it, 
and  did  much  to  increase  its  wealth  and  prosperity.  It  was  he 
who  changed  the  name  of  the  place.  He  called  it  Caesarea,  in 
honor  of  Augustus  Caesar,  the  famous  emperor  of  Rome.  He 
added  his  own  name  to  this,  calling  it  Caesarea  Philippi,  to  dis¬ 
tinguish  it  from  another  town  on  the  sea-coast  that  was  also 
called  Caesarea.  Herod  the  Great  built  a  splendid  temple  here 
in  honor  of  the  Roman  emperor.  He  also  established  games 
here,  such  as  the  people  were  very  fond  of  in  those  days. 
In  these  they  had  wrestling-matches  and  racing-matches,  and 
other  trials  of  strength  and  skill,  which  drew  great  crowds  of 
people  to  the  places  where  these  games  were  practised. 


164 


ILL  USTRA  TED  RA MBLES 


After  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem  by  the  Romans,  Titus,  the 
Roman  general,  brought  great  numbers  of  the  Jews  whom  he 
had  made  captives  to  this  place,  and  made  them  fight  with  lions 
and  tigers  and  other  wild  animals  in  the  circus,  for  the  amuse¬ 
ment  of  the  people.  Very  many  of  the  poor  Jews  were  killed 
in  this  way.  How  strange  and  how  sad  it  is  that  human  beings 
should  he  so  hard-hearted  as  to  find  pleasure  in  seeing  their 
fellow-creatures  cruelly  torn  to  pieces  by  wild  beasts ! 

Since  those  days  this  place  has  passed  through  many  changes. 
The  effect  of  these  changes  has  been  to  scatter  its  inhabitants 
and  waste  its  strength,  and  leave  it  a  wretched  little  place,  that 
hardly  deserves  to  be  called  a  town.  In  the  midst  of  these 
changes,  Caesarea  Philippi,  the  name  by  which  it  is  known  in 
Scripture,  was  lost,  and  the  old  name  Paneas  has  been  changed 
into  Banias,  by  which  it  is  now  known. 

On  the  side  of  the  mountain  which  rises  up  behind  Banias, 
and  about  a  thousand  feet  above  it,  are  the  ruins  of  a  strong 
old  castle.  This  is  supposed  to  have  been  built  before  the  time 
of  our  Saviour.  It  has  been  often  taken  and  retaken  in  the 
different  wars  of  the  country.  Though  it  is  no  longer  used, 
yet  many  travellers  climb  up  to  look  at  the  old  ruins,  and  to 
think  about  the  strange  things  that  have  taken  place  there. 
After  being  eight  hours  in  the  saddle,  only  one  of  our  party 
had  energy  enough  to  make  the  ascent.  It  took  him  three 
hours  to  go  up  and  down,  and  we  were  more  than  reconciled  to 
the  wisdom  of  our  decision  by  his  frank  acknowledgment  that 
“  it  didn’t  pay.” 

But,  after  all,  it  is  the  connection  of  Banias  with  Jesus  that 
gives  us  the  greatest  interest  in  it.  This  was  the  farthest  point 
towards  the  north  to  which  Jesus  went  in  His  journeys  up  and 
down  the  Holy  Land.  In  Matt.  xvi.  13,  we  read:  “When  Jesus 
came  into  the  coasts  of  Csesarea  Philippi,  he  asked  his  disciples, 
saying,  Whom  do  men  say  that  I,  the  Son  of  man,  am  ?”  The 
same  thing  is  mentioned  by  Mark,  in  the  8th  chapter  and  27th 
verse.  Here  it  was  that  Peter  made  his  celebrated  confessions 
of  Christ,  declaring  that  He  was  the  Son  of  God. 


Mount  Hermon 


IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


165 


It  was  here,  too,  that  Jesus  taught  His  disciples  the  great 
lesson  about  the  worth  of  the  soul,  when  He  asked  the  important 
question,  “  What  shall  it  profit  a  man  if  he  gain  the  whole 
world  and  lose  his  own  soul  ?  or  what  shall  a  man  give  in 
exchange  for  his  soul  ?” 

And  it  is  supposed  by  some  that  the  transfiguration  of  our 
Saviour  took  place  in  this  neighborhood,  instead  of  on  the  top 
of  Mount  Tabor.  They  think  it  was  from  Banias,  or  Csesarea 
Philippi,  that  Jesus  took  the  three  disciples — Peter,  and  James, 
and  John — who  were  to  be  the  witnesses  of  His  glorious 
change,  and  that  “  the  high  mountain,  apart  by  themselves,”  to 
which  He  led  them,  was  one  of  the  high  points  on  the  side 
of  Mount  Hermon,  not  far  from  this  city  of  Csesarea  Philippi. 
But  though  there  is  some  uncertainty  about  the  pAace  where 
the  transfiguration  of  Jesus  occurred,  it  is  very  pleasant  to 
know  that  if  we  really  love  and  serve  Him  there  is  no  uncer¬ 
tainty  about  the  fact  that  wre  shall  share  in  the  glory  of  that 
wonderful  change  at  last.  For  it  is  written,  “He  shall  change 
our  vile  bodies,  and  make  them  like  unto  his  own  glorious  body.” 
And  it  is  written  again,  that  “  when  he  shall  appear,  we  shall 
be  like  him;  for  we  shall  see  him  as  he  is.” 

From  Banias  round  Mount  Hermon  to  Damascus. — We 
spent  two  days  in  making  this  journey.  Taking  an  early  start 
from  Banias,  we  had  a  nine  hours’  ride  through  a  wild  moun¬ 
tain  region  before  we  reached  our  camping-ground  at  the  little 
village  of  Ivefr  Hauwar.  This  village  lies  among  the  mountains 
of  Hermon.  Ivefr  means  a  river,  and  near  the  village  by  which 
our  tents  were  pitched  is  a  small  stream  forming  one  of  the 
branches  of  the  Pharpar  of  Damascus,  and  to  which  the  name 
Ivefr  Hauwar  is  applied. 

Mount  Hermon. — The  most  interesting  feature  of  this  day’s 
journey  w'as  the  charming  and  ever-changing  views  with  which 
we  were  favored  of  Hermon  in  all  its  beauty  and  grandeur. 
Our  road  lay  across  the  successive  ridges  of  this  range.  The 
mountains  amidst  which  we  were  pursuing  our  winding  way 
had  their  summits  wrapped  in  snow.  We  had  patches  of  snow 


166 


ILLUSTRATED  RAMBLES 


from  time  to  time  lying  across  our  path,  and  when  we  paused  to 
lunch  we  had  a  plate  of  piled-up  snow  on  our  table,  as  well  for 
the  novelty  of  the  thing  as  for  its  cooling  influence  on  the 
weak,  warm  wine  of  the  country  which  we  carried  with  us. 
But  this  was  not  all  we  had  to  remind  us  that  we  were  among 
the  mountains.  In  the  course  of  the  morning  we  had  quite  a 
severe  hail-storm,  accompanied  and  followed  by  a  wind  so 
cold  and  piercing  that,  with  overcoats  on,  and  all  available 
extra  appliances,  it  was  hard  to  keep  tolerably  comfortable, 
even  in  the  clear  sunshine.  But  it  was  early  spring,  and  we 
were  skirting  the  base  of  majestic  Hermon,  and  so  all  these 
circumstances  were  only  in  keeping  with  the  time  and  place  of 
our  sojourning. 

In  speaking  about  this  mountain,  the  first  thing  to  notice  is 
its  name.  Mountains  very  often  take  their  names  from  some¬ 
thing  that  is  striking  in  their  appearance.  Thus,  Mount  Leba¬ 
non  has  a  name  which  means  white,  because  it  is  chiefly  com¬ 
posed  of  light-colored  limestone,  which  gives  it  a  whitish  look. 
Mount  Blanc,  in  Switzerland,  is  so  called  because  blanc  is 
the  French  word  for  white;  and  this  mountain,  the  highest  in 
Europe,  being  always  covered  with  snow,  is  never  seen  except 
as  a  white  mountain.  Hermon  means  “  a  sharp,  lofty  peak 
and  though  as  we  look  at  our  picture  the  top  of  the  mountain 
seems  rounded,  like  a  dome,  yet  it  has  several  peaks,  and  one 
of  them  is  a  sharp,  lofty  peak,  from  which  it  takes  its  name. 
In  old  times  it  used  to  be  called  Sirion  and  Shenir  (Deut.  iii.  9), 
and  both  these  words  mean  a  breast-plate.  These  names  wTere 
given  to  it  because  its  rounded,  glittering  top,  as  the  sun  shone 
upon  it,  seemed  to  suggest  the  idea  of  a  breast-plate.  It  was 
also  called  Sion  in  old  times,  as  we  find  from  Deut.  viii.  48. 
This  means  high,  and  was  a  very  proper  name  to  give  to  one  of 
the  highest  mountains  in  the  Holy  Land.  The  Arabs  call  it 
Jebel  esh-Sheikh,  which  means  “  The  Chief  Mountain,”  and 
Jebel  eth-Thelj,  which  means  “The  Snowy  Mountain,”  because 
even  in  the  midst  of  summer  the  snow  never  entirely  disappears 
from  the  top  of  Hermon.  And  so  we  see  that  all  the  different 


IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


167 


names  of  this  mountain  refer  to  something  in  its  appearance  as 
we  look  upon  it. 

The  next  thing  to  notice  about  Hermon  is  its  position.  When 
we  see  the  letter  B  anywhere,  we  know  in  a  moment  that  its 
place  in  the  alphabet  is  next  to  A,  and  so  we  understand  just 
where  it  belongs.  When  we  read  about  Hermon  in  our  Bibles, 
perhaps  we  do  not  know  exactly  where  it  is.  Let  us  try  to 
remember  that  it  is  in  the  northern  part  of  the  land,  and  on  the 
eastern  side  of  the  river  Jordan.  It  is  not  always  put  down 
distinctly  in  our  maps  of  the  Holy  Land.  And  yet  it  is  very 
easy  to  tell  just  where  Mount  Hermon  lies.  Suppose  you  take 
a  map  of  Palestine  and  find  the  city  of  Sidon,  on  the  shore  of 
the  Mediterranean  Sea,  and  then  draw  a  line  east  from  that 
point  till  you  come  to  the  city  of  Damascus ;  then  put  your 
pencil  about  the  middle  of  this  line  and  draw  it  down  south 
about  one-sixth  the  length  of  the  line  from  Sidon  to  Damascus, 
and  that  will  briug  you  to  just  where  Mount  Hermon  lies.  If 
you  will  only  go  through  this  operation  once,  you  will  fix  the 
position  of  Hermon  in  your  mind  so  clearly,  that  as  long  as  you 
live,  when  you  hear  or  read  about  Hermon,  you  will  know 
where  it  belongs  as  well  as  you  know  the  place  to  which  B 
belongs  in  the  alphabet. 

Other  noticeable  features  about  Mount  Hermon  are  its  height 
and  size.  Next  to  Mount  Lebanon,  it  is  the  highest  mountain  in 
Syria.  It  has  never  been  very  carefully  measured,  though 
several  well-known  travellers  have  tried  to  estimate  its  height. 
And  they  have  not  differed  very  much  in  the  opinions  they 
have  formed  about  it.  They  all  agree  in  supposing  that  Her¬ 
mon  is  between  nine  and  ten  thousand  feet  above  the  level  of 
the  sea.  The  highest  point  of  Mount  Lebanon  is  about  seven 
hundred  feet  higher  than  this.  That  is  so  small  a  difference  as 
hardly  to  be  noticed  by  the  eye,  and  Mount  Hermon  really 
appears,  therefore,  as  if  it  were  the  highest  point  in  the  whole 
land.  If  you  attempt  to  go  round  the  base  of  this  great 
mountain,  you  would  have  to  travel  over  a  circle  of  about  thirty 
miles  in  extent.  When  we  think  of  the  great  space  which 


168 


ILLUSTRATED  RAMBLES 


Hermon  covers  on  the  surface  of  the  ground,  and  of  the  great 
height  to  which  it  rises  in  the  air,  it  may  help  us  to  learn  how 
great  the  power  of  God  is,  who — as  Dr.  Watts  says  in  the 
hymn — 

“  Spread  the  flowing  seas  abroad, 

And  bade  the  mountains  rise.” 

•  This  mountain  was  the  landmark  of  the  Israelites.  It  was 
associated  with  their  ideas  of  the  northern  border  almost  as 
intimately  as  the  Mediterranean  Sea  was  with  the  west.  In¬ 
deed,  there  is  one  passage  in  which  it  seems  to  be  used  as  a 
synonym  for  “  north.”  I  refer  to  Ps.  lxxxix.  12,  in  which 
David  says  .  “  The  north  and  the  south,  thou  hast  created  them  : 
Tabor  and  Hermon  shall  rejoice  in  thy  name.”  And  it  was 
very  natural  that  this  should  be  so ;  for  from  whatever  part 
of  Palestine  the  Israelite  turned  his  eye  northward,  Hermon 
was  there  shutting  in  the  view.  From  the  plains  of  the  coast, 
from  the  mountains  of  Samaria,  from  the  Jordan  valley,  from 
the  heights  of  Moab  and  Gilead,  and  from  the  broad  fields  of 
Bashan,  that  pale  blue,  snow-capped  cone  forms  the  most 
striking  feature  on  the  northern  horizon. 

Hermon  was  especially  remarkable  for  its  dew.  Thus  the 
royal  Psalmist  says,  “As  the  dew  of  Hermon,  the  dew  that 
descended  on  the  mountains  of  Zion.”  Ps.  cxxxiii.  3.  We 
read  in  Deut.  iv.  48,  “  Even  unto  Mount  Sion,  which  is  Her¬ 
mon.”  Thus  it  appears  that  “  Sion  ”  was  one  of  the  ancient 
names  of  Hermon,  and  that  the  Psalmist  uses  this  old  name  in 
the  passage  just  quoted.  That  copious  dews  should  be  found  in 
connection  with  such  a  mountain  is  not  surprising ;  for  the 
snow  on  its  summit  condenses  the  vapors  that  float  during 
summer  in  the  higher  regions  of  the  atmosphere,  causing  light 
clouds  to  hover  round  it  and  abundant  dew  to  descend  on  it, 
while  the  whole  country  elsewhere  is  parched  and  the  atmo¬ 
sphere  cloudless  and  dry. 

Another  interesting  feature  about  Mount  Hermon  is  its  ruins. 
On  the  top  of  one  of  the  highest  points  of  this  mountain  are 
found  some  very  remarkable  ruins.  The  foundation  of  a  small 


IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


169 


stone  temple  has  been  traced  out,  with  broken  columns  and 
other  ruins.  No  one  can  tell  when  these  buildings  were  erected, 
or  who  was  the  builder  of  them,  or  for  what  purpose  they  were 
built.  It  seems  very  strange  to  think  of  putting  up  expensive 
buildings  in  a  place  so  high,  so  difficult  to  get  at  in  any  season 
of  the  year,  and  which  in  winter  must  always  have  been  covered 
with  snow.  It  is  supposed,  however,  that  these  buildings  were ' 
erected  for  the  purpose  of  being  used  in  connection  with  the 
idolatrous  worship  which  prevailed  in  this  country  before  the 
Israelites  took  possession  of  it.  The  worshippers  of  idols  loved 
to  choose  out  hill-tops  and  mountain-summits  as  the  places 
where  they  would  build  their  altars  and  offer  prayers  to  their 
idols.  And  when  the  Israelites  came  into  Canaan,  God  com¬ 
manded  them  to  “  cut  down  the  groves,  and  take  away  the  high 
places,” — or  the  temples  built,  and  the  altars  set  up  there — - 
which  were  used  in  the  worship  of  idols.  And  so  it  is  pleasant 
to  look  at  these  old  ruins,  or  to  think  about  them,  because,  as 
they  lie  prostrate  on  the  ground,  they  seem  to  tell  us  how  the 
idols  for  whose  honor  they  were  once  used  have  passed  away, 
and  how  the  one  true  God  is  now  worshipped  in  place  of 
them. 

The  only  other  feature  of  interest  about  Mount  Ilermon  that 
we  would  now  speak  of  is  its  beauty.  If  we  could  stand  on  the 
top  of  Hermon,  we  should  see  how  beautiful  it  is  in  the  wide 
prospect  that  is  spread  out  to  view  there.  The  whole  country 
can  be  seen  at  a  glance.  From  the  Mediterranean  Sea  on  the 
west  to  the  mountains  of  Moab  and  the  Dead  Sea  on  the  east, 
and  from  Lebanon  in  the  north  to  the  hill  country  of  Judea  in 
the  south,  every  part  of  the  land  is  fully  in  view  from  the  top 
of  Hermon.  There  is  great  beauty  in  this. 

And  then  if  we  should  begin  to  travel  down  the  sides  of  this 
mountain,  we  should  find  beauty  of  another  kind  connected 
with  TIermon.  The  snow  upon  its  summit  is  melting  all  the 
time  and  rills  and  streams  are  thus  formed  which  go  dashing 
down  the  sides  of  the  mountain.  These  make  the  lower  slopes 
of  the  mountain  beautiful  in  their  fertility.  The  river  Jordan 


170 


ILLUSTRATED  RAMBLES 


lias  its  source  in  tlie  melting  snows  of  Herrnon ;  and  so  has  the 
Orontes  and  the  other  principal  rivers  of  Palestine. 

And  then  if  we  should  leave  the  base  of  Hermon  and  travel 
off  to  distant  parts  of  the  land,  whenever  we  turned  and  looked 
back  we  should  see  Hermon  lifting  itself  up  towards  the  skies, 
aud  always  beautiful  in  the  snowy  robe  that  covers  it.  When 
Moses  stood  upon  the  top  of  Nebo,  to  look  at  the  promised  land 
before  he  died,  he  saw  Mount  Hermon  far  off  in  the  distance. 
And  it  seemed  so  beautiful  to  him  that  he  spoke  of  it  as  “  that 
goodly  mountain  and  Lebanon.” 

A  Rainy  Night.— Journeying  on  in  full  view  of  Hermon 
all  day,  we  halted  after  a  nine  hours’  ride  at  Kefr  Hauwar,  the 
point  already  mentioned.  Here  it  rained  hard  all  night.  The 
rain  was  accompanied  by  a  furious  wind,  which  kept  us  awake 
part  of  the  night,  fearing  every  moment  that  our  tent  would  he 
overthrown.  But,  happily  for  us,  that  catastrophe  did  not 
befall  us  there.  I  was  waked  in  the  morning  by  the  rain 
dropping  on  my  head  and  on  several  parts  of  the  bed.  I  rose 
earlier  than  I  should  have  done,  on  this  account.  On  opening 
the  door  of  our  tent,  I  saw  a  glorious  sunrise  among  the  moun¬ 
tains.  But  very  soon  after  the  sun  went  under  a  mass  of  dark, 
heavy  clouds — an  ominous  sign  for  the  day.  There  was  a  glo¬ 
rious  rainbow,  too,  over  the  Hermon  range  at  breakfast-time — 
another  unpropitious  omen.  I  thought  of  the  old  saying,  “a 
rainbow  in  the  morning  is  the  shepherd’s  warning,”  and  hoped 
that  for  once  at  least  the  sign  might  fail ;  hut  such  was  not  to 
he  the  case. 

Starting  for  Damascus. — We  struck  our  tents  and  started 
for  Damascus  in  a  heavy  rain,  by  no  means  a  comfortable 
accompaniment  of  such  an  operation.  All  through  the  morning 
wre  had  furious  squalls  of  wind  and  rain,  alternating  with  sudden 
bursts  of  glorious  sunshine.  By  noon,  however,  the  sun  got  the 
upper  hand,  and  for  the  rest  of  the  day  it  was  bright  and  clear, 
though  attended  with  a  wind  of  fearful  violence.  Fortunately 
for  us  it  was  on  our  hacks,  for  to  have  faced  its  fury  would  have 
been  almost  impossible. 


Damascus. 


P.  171. 


IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


171 


The  first  part  of  our  route  was  still  among  the  mountains, 
with  a  continuation  of  the  most  charming  scenery.  After  this 
we  rode  for  several  hours  over  a  level,  dreary,  desolate  plain. 
It  was  interesting  to  think  that  “  Saul  of  Tarsus,”  on  his  memo¬ 
rable  journey  from  Jerusalem  to  Damascus,  had  doubtless 
travelled  over  this  same  route,  and  gazed  admiringly  on  the 
same  grand  scenery.  About  noon  we  passed  the  traditional 
scene  of  his  wonderful  vision,  “  as  he  drew  near  to  Damascus.” 
How  full  of  stirring  thoughts  is  such  a  locality !  The  spot 
pointed  out  in  this  connection  is  reached  just  before  leaving  the 
desert  district  above  spoken  of,  for -the  paradise  of  fertility  that 
immediately  surrounds  Damascus,  where  the  Abana  and  Phar- 
par  subserve  the  purpose  of  irrigation,  in  making  an  Eden  of 
what  would  otherwise  be  a  desert  of  sterility. 

There  are  three  things  that  make  this  an  interesting  place  for  a 
lover  of  the  Bible  to  visit.  The  first  of  these  is  the  beauty  of 
Damascus.  Nothing  can  exceed  the  beauty  of  the  scene  when 
Damascus  first  bursts  upon  the  view  of  the  traveller  approaching 
it  from  the  mountains.  In  looking  at  it,  you  are  reminded  of 
the  description  of  the  Church,  as — - 

“  A  little  spot  enclosed  by  grace, 

Out  of  the  world’s  wide  wilderness.” 

It  is  an  oasis  in  a  desert — a  jewel  of  beauty  enclosed  in  a  broad 
ring  of  desolation.  In  looking  at  it,  you  can  easily  credit  the 
story  told  of  Mahomet,  that  on  first  beholding  it,  he  turned 
away  and  refused  to  enter  it,  saying,  that  “  as  there  was  but  one 
paradise,  he  was  resolved  not  to  have  his  in  this  world.” 

I  was  forcibly  reminded,  too,  of  the  remark  I  had  heard 
many  years  ago  from  Mr.  Buckingham,  the  English  traveller, 
while  lecturing  on  Syria.  Speaking  of  the  tranquillizing  effect 
produced  upon  his  mind  by  the  scene  when  Damascus  first 
burst  upon  his  view,  in  all  the  surpassing  loveliness  of  its  quiet 
beauty,  he  said  that,  in  all  his  after  life,  when  chafed  and 
troubled  with  its  disturbing  cares,  he  was  accustomed  to  close 
his  eyes,  and  abstracting  his  mind  from  the  things  that  sur- 


172 


ILLUSTRATED  RAMBLES 


rounded  him,  to  recall  the  image  of  that  scene,  as  pictured  on 
memory’s  tablet,  to  calm  the  perturbation  of  his  spirit  and 
recover  his  usual  serenity. 

It  often  happens  that  objects  appear  beautiful  when  seen 
from  afar,  but  are  altogether  different  when  looked  at  close  at 
hand.  “  Distance  lends  enchantment  to  the  view,”  which  is  all 
dispelled  when  we  come  close  to  them.  This  is  strikingly  the 
case  with  the  city  of  Jerusalem.  When  the  traveller  reaches 
the  point  of  the  road  which  gives  him  the  first  view  of  the  holy 
city,  with  “  the  mountains  standing  round  about  ”  it,  he  cannot 
refrain  from  taking  up  the  Esalmist’s  language,  and  exclaiming, 
“  beautiful  for  situation  is  Jerusalem.”  But  when  he  comes 
near,  and  sees  the  squalid  wretchedness  and  abounding  filth  that 
prevail  through  its  narrow,  crooked,  poverty-stricken  streets,  a 
painful  sense  of  revulsion  is  experienced,  from  which  it  takes 
some  time  to  recover.  But  it  is  different  with  Damascus. 
There  is  no  jar  experienced  on  drawing  nigh  to  it,  and  no 
disappointment  felt,  requiring  patient  and  earnest  effort  to 
overcome  it. 

If  there  are  few  other  cities  in  the  world  as  old  as  this,  cer¬ 
tainly  there  are  very  few  as  beautiful.  Several  things  help  to 
make  up  the  beauty  of  this  famous  city.  One  of  these  is  its 
situation.  It  lies  in  the  midst  of  a  great  plain,  about  thirty 
miles  in  extent.  This  is  surrounded  by  high  mountains.  On 
one  side  Hermon  is  seen,  and  on  the  other  side  Lebanon,  with 
their  summits  wrapped  in  snow.  And  the  contrast  between 
the  lofty,  rugged  mountain  and  the  low,  level  jolain  is  very 
striking. 

Another  thing  that  adds  to  the  beauty  of  Damascus  is  its 
abundant  supply  of  water.  This  is  a  great  blessing  to  a  city 
anywhere,  but  it  is  especially  so  in  a  hot  country  like  Syria. 
Without  this,  there  would  not  only  be  no  beauty  there,  but  no 
life. 

We  read  in  the  Old  Testament  about  “the  Abana  and 
Pharpar,  rivers  of  Damascus.”  These  were  great  blessings  to  it 
then,  and  they  are  so  still.  They  are  not  great  rivers,  like  the 


IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


173 


Delaware,  or  the  Hudson,  or  the  Mississippi.  They  are  small 
streams,  that  are  fed  by  the  melting  snows  on  the  mountains 
of  Lebanon.  But  the  water  of  these  streams  is  clear  and 
sparkling,  and  the  people  of  Damascus  make  a  very  good  use 
of  it.  These  two  streams  are  taken  into  the  city,  and  made  to 
supply  a  great  number  of  public  and  private  fountains.  These 
meet  you  at  almost  every  turn,  making  sweet  music  with  their 
falling  waters,  and  sending  forth  their  streams  everywhere, 
carrying  coolness,  cleanliness  and  comfort  with  them. 

But  the  chief  thing  that  helps  to  make  Damascus  so  beautiful 
is  the  gardens.  There  are  gardens  scattered  through  the  city 
and  all  round  about  it.  Through  these  gardens  the  waters 
of  the  rivers  spoken  of  are  led  by  means  of  small  canals. 
This  makes  the  soil  rich  and  fertile,  so  that  everything 
grows  in  the  most  abundant  manner.  Vines  and  olive 
trees,  figs  and  pomegranates,  plums  and  apricots,  and  cit¬ 
rons,  and  all  the  fruit  trees  of  the  East,  grow  and  flourish 
here  most  luxuriantly.  When  you  first  come  in  sight  of  the 
city,  as  you  begin  to  descend  the  side  of  the  mountains  that 
surround  it,  it  looks  like  a  perfect  paradise.  You  see  the 
buildings  of  the  city,  with  their  domes  and  minarets  sparkling 
in  the  sunlight ;  and  the  gardens  that  surround  the  city  smiling 
in  their  loveliness,  and  making  a  wonderful  contrast  with  the 
barrenness  of  the  desert,  which  prevails  wherever  the  water 
from  the  rivers  does  not  reach. 

The  antiquity  of  Damascus  is  another  thing  that  makes  it 
interesting.  For  a  city  that  is  still  flourishing,  Damascus  is 
one  of  the  oldest  cities  in  the  world.  The  name  of  its  founder 
is  not  known,  and  its  early  history  runs  back  beyond  the  time 
of  which  we  have  any  authentic  records.  Josephus  says  that 
Uz  the  son  of  Aram  was  the  founder  of  the  city,  but  he  gives 
no  authority  for  the  statement.  It  may  be  so,  however,  as  it  is 
known  that  the  family  of  Aram  colonized  north-eastern  Syria, 
and  gave  it  the  name  of  Aram,  by  which  it  is  universally 
known  in  Scripture.  The  natural  highway  from  southern 
Mesopotamia — the  cradle  of  the  human  race — is  across  the 


174 


ILLUSTRATED  RAMBLES 


desert  to  Syria.  The  earliest  wanderers  westward,  after  the 
dispersion  of  Babel,  would  thus  be  brought  to  the  banks  of  the 
Abana ;  such  a  site  would  be  at  once  occupied,  and  once  taken 
possession  of,  would  never  be  given  up. 

What  we  certainly  know  is,  that  Damascus  was  already  a 
noted  place  as  far  back  as  the  days  of  Abraham.  Thus  we 
read  that  “  the  steward  of  his  house  was  Eliezer  of  Damascus.” 
This  was  nearly  two  thousand  years  before  Christ.  And  when 
we  bear  in  mind  that  Damascus  has  been  a  populous  and 
flourishing  city  for  the  wondrously  long  period  of  forty  cen¬ 
turies,  it  is  certainly  well  entitled  to  our  respect  on  the  score 
of  its  antiquity. 

And  then  the  other  thing  that  adds  to  this  interest  is  the 
history  of  Damascus.  Our  space  will  not  allow  us  to  go  into 
detail  on  this  point.  But  in  this  uncertain  world  many  changes 
must  go  to  make  up  the  long  period  over  which  the  existence 
of  this  fine  old  city  has  spread  itself.  It  figures  largely  in  the 
Old  Testament  records.  The  interesting  incident  of  Kaaman’s 
cure  brings  Damascus  to  our  notice. 

The  prophet  Elisha  made  a  visit  to  Damascus  on  one  occa¬ 
sion.  Ben-hadad,  the  king,  his  old  enemy  (2  Kings  vi.  11-13), 
heard  of  his  arrival,  and  sent  one  of  his  chief  servants  with  a 
costly  present  and  a  special  inquiry.  “Thy  son  Ben-hadad 
king  of  Syria,”  said  the  messenger,  “  hath  sent  me  to  thee, 
saying,  Shall  I  recover  of  this  disease  ?”  The  messenger  was 
Hazael,  whom  Elisha  had  previously  been  commissioned  to 
anoint  king  over  Syria.  The  prophet  read  through  at  a  glance 
the  wicked  designs  of  the  crafty  favorite  of  the  king,  and  his 
searching  glance  brought  a  blush  to  the  traitor’s  face.  All  the 
circumstances  of  this  sad  history  are  thoroughly  oriental :  the 
“  forty  camels’  burden”  of  “  every  good  thing  of  Damascus ;”  the 
accomplished  duplicity  and  cruelty  of  the  confidential  servant ; 
the  ease  with  which  the  murderer  ascended  the  throne  of  his 
victim,  and  the  subsequent  barbarity  of  the  usurper. 

Damascus  rose  to  great  prosperity  under  Hazael.  Then  it 
passed  in  succession  under  Assyrian  and  Roman  sway.  Chris- 


IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


175 


tianity  advanced  rapidly  in  this  ancient  city.  Its  metropolitan 
was  present  at  the  Council  of  Nice,  with  seven  bishops.  About 
seventy  years  afterwards,  the  great  temple  was  converted  into  a 
Christian  church,  and  dedicated  to  St.  John  the  Baptist.  For 
nearly  three  centuries  it  remained  under  Christian  influences. 
Then  came  another  faith  and  another  race.  In  the  seventh 
century  it  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  Moslems,  and  under  their 
control,  with  various  changes,  it  has  remained.  Since  then  the 
Cross  has  never  displaced  the  Crescent.  “  Perhaps  the  most 
remarkable  fact  connected  with  the  history  of  this  city,”  says 
one,  “  is  that  it  has  flourished  under  every  change  of  dynasty 
and  under  every  form  of  government.  It  may  be  called  the 
perennial  city.  Its  position  among  the  capitals  of  the  world 
has  been  wonderfully  uniform.  The  presence  of  royalty  never 
seems  to  have  greatly  advanced  its  internal  welfare,  nor  did  its 
removal  cause  decay.  It  has  never  rivalled,  in  its  population 
or  in  the  splendor  of  its  structures,  Nineveh,  Babylon  or 
Thebes;  but  neither  has  it  resembled  them  in  the  greatness 
of  its  fall.  It  has  existed  and  prospered  alike  under  Persian 
despotism,  Grecian  anarchy,  and  Bom  an  patronage ;  and  it 
exists  and  prospers  still,  in  spite  of  Turkish  oppression  and 
misrule.” 

There  is  a  good  hotel  in  Damascus,  but  WTe  pitched  our  tents 
in  a  beautiful  garden  just  outside  the  walls  of  the  city,  and 
made  that  our  head-quarters  during  the  time  of  our  sojourn 
here. 

And  now  let  me  give  a  sketch  of  our 

Walks  about  Damascus. — After  resting  a  while  in  our 
beautiful  garden  encampment  without  the  walls,  we  took  a 
stroll  into  the  city.  Our  first  walk  was  along  “  the  street  which 
is  called  straight,”  where  Ananias  was  sent  to  the  house  of 
Judas,  to  be  the  messenger  of  peace  and  salvation  to  the  con¬ 
verted  persecutor,  “Saul  of  Tarsus.”  It  is  now  a  bazaar  of 
si) ops.  It  is  no  longer  remarkable  for  its  straightness;  but 
no  thoughtful  Christian  can  walk  through  it  without  having 
stirring  thoughts  suggested  about  that  wonderful  event  which 


176 


ILLUSTRATED  RAMBLES 


forms  one  of  the  most  memorable  incidents  connected  with  the 
history  of  this  most  ancient  and  interesting  city. 

The  Cleanliness  of  Damascus. — It  struck  us  as  being  the  clean¬ 
liest  and  most  attractive  of  all  the  oriental  cities  we  had  seen. 
You  meet  with  a  fountain  in  the  streets  at  every  few  steps,  and 
are  seldom  out  of  the  sound  of  falling  or  running  water.  And 
when  you  see  the  use  that  is  made  of  the  two  celebrated  rivers 
connected  with  this  city,  the  comfort  and  cleanliness  which  they 
afford,  and  the  wondrous  fertility  and  beauty  to  which  they 
give  rise  within  and  around  the  city,  you  cannot  but  sympa¬ 
thize  with  the  offended  ISaaman,  the  famous  Syrian  leper,  in 
the  natural  question  addressed  by  him  to  the  prophet  Elisha, 
as  he  indignantly  asked :  “  Are  not  Abana  and  Pharpar, 
rivers  of  Damascus,  better  than  all  the  waters  of  Israel  ?  may  I 
not  wash  in  them,  and  be  clean  ?”  Plow  singular  it  is  to  find 
that  there  is  a  quarter  for  lepers  now  in  the  very  place  where 
the  house  of  Naaman,  the  proud  “  captain  of  the  hosts  of  Syria,” 
is  said  to  have  stood ! 

The  House  of  Ananias. — In  our  next  walk  about  Damascus 
we  visited  what  is  supposed  to  be  the  traditional  abode  of  the 
man  who  baptized  the  great  “  apostle  of  the  Gentiles,”  and 
received  him  into  membership  with  the  Church  of  Christ.  It 
is  in  the  Christian  quarter  of  the  city.  A  cave  fitted  up  as  a 
chapel,  underneath  a  modern-built  house,  is  pointed  out  as  the 
spot.  The  location  is  probably  the  true  one,  as  the  city  has 
never  been  destroyed,  like  Jerusalem,  and  there  has  always 
been  more  or  less  of  a  Christian  population,  who  would  feel  a 
natural  interest  in  preserving  the  identity  of  a  spot  so  worthy 
of  being  remembered. 

The  Scene  of  Paul’s  Escape. — After  leaving  “  the  house  of 
Ananias,”  wre  took  a  walk  outside  the  city,  to  see  the  reputed 
place  where  Paul  was  let  down  from  the  wall  in  a  basket,  to 
escape  from  the  enmity  of  the  Jews.  The  wall  has  all  the 
appearance  of  great  antiquity.  The  lower  part,  at  least,  is  no 
doubt  the  same  that  stood  there  eighteen  centuries  ago,  when 
Paul  was  having  his  first  experience  of  persecution  for  the  cross 


IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


177 


of  Christ.  The  upper  part  has  a  more  modern  appearance,  and 
there  is  a  house  of  recent  date  built  upon  the  wall,  showing 
how  easily  one  could  be  let  down  from  the  window  without 
being  observed  by  those  within  the  city,  as  was  the  case  in  this 
instance,  and  also  with  Itahab  when  she  let  down  the  spies  from 
the  walls  of  Jericho. 

The  Bazaars. — A  large  portion  of  each  of  our  days  of  sojourn 
at  Damascus,  except  the  Sabbath,  was  spent  in  visiting  the 
bazaars.  These  constitute  one  of  the  most  striking  and  in¬ 
teresting  features  of  the  city  to  a  stranger.  The  appearance 
they  present  is  so  totally  unlike  anything  we  are  accustomed 
to  in  our  part  of  the  world,  that  whole  days  spent  in  examining 
them  would  not  be  tiresome.  Most  of  the  shops  here  are 
scarcely  equal  in  size  to  one  of  our  ordinary  bath-rooms,  while 
many  of  them  are  not  larger  than  a  good-sized  packing-box. 
Yet  the  wares  of  all  the  East  are  stored  here,  and  the  wealth 
contained  in  them  is  enormous.  Here  the  Turkish  merchant 
sits  cross-legged  in  the  midst  of  his  little  shop,  often  able  to 
reach  all  his  goods  without  rising.  He  generally  has  a  portion 
of  the  Koran  by  his  side,  which  he  occujhes  himself  in  reading 
when  not  otherwise  engaged — a  practice  that  may  well  put  to 
shame  the  followers  of  a  purer  faith. 

The  streets  in  this  portion  of  the  city  are  very  narrow,  and 
are  covered  over  to  protect  them  from  the  sun  and  rain.  Each 
different  trade  has  a  street,  or  portion  of  a  street,  allotted 
to  it:  the  shoe  bazaars  are  in  one  street;  the  dry-goods  in 
another ;  the  blacksmiths  and  coppersmiths  in  another ;  the 
silversmiths  in  another;  and  so  on.  And  thus  the  different 
races  or  religions  have  their  own  bazaars :  in  one  street  you 
see  all  Jews ;  in  another,  all  Mohammedans ;  and  in  a  third, 
all  Christians. 

Sunday  in  Damascus. — We  spent  a  Sabbath  here.  It  rained 
hard  nearly  all  the  previous  night,  and  on  waking  in  the  morn¬ 
ing,  I  found  a  stream  of  water  making  its  way  under  my  bed 
into  the  middle  of  our  tent.  A  pool  of  water  had  also  formed 
inside  of  our  tent-door.  But  it  ceased  raining  before  breakfast- 
12 


178 


ILLUSTRATED  RAMBLES 


time,  and  the  rest  of  the  day  was  very  pleasant.  The  rain 
had  melted  the  snow  upon  the  mountains,  and  the  river  Phar- 
par,  which  flowed  about  a  stone’s  throw  from  our  tent,  was  so 
much  swollen  through  the  day  that  we  feared  an  overflow ;  hap¬ 
pily  for  us,  however,  it  did  not  take  place. 

We  attended  service  at  the  chapel  of  the  American  Mission 
in  the  morning,  and  heard  an  excellent  sermon  from  one  of  the 
missionaries.  The  Protestant  Mission  was  established  in  Da¬ 
mascus  in  1843,  by  two  missionaries,  one  from  the  Presbyterian 
Church  of  Ireland  and  the  other  from  the  Church  of  Scotland. 
The  latter  soon  withdrew  from  the  field,  and  the  work  was  then 
taken  up  and  carried  on  by  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  our 
own  country.  These  missionaries  have  been  very  successful, 
especially  in  their  educational  work.  The  mission  suffered 
greatly  from  the  massacre  in  1860,  but  it  has  since  rallied,  and 
is  now  very  much  encouraged. 

The  Great  Mosque. — In  one  of  our  walks  through  the  city, 
we  visited  this  interesting  temple.  It  is  more  remarkable  for 
its  great  size  and  antiquity  than  for  its  special  claims  to  archi¬ 
tectural  beauty.  It  has  existed  through  all  the  changes  that 
have  passed  over  the  city ;  having  been  used  in  turn  as  a 
heathen  temple,  then  as  a  Christian  church,  and  now  for  cen¬ 
turies  as  a  Turkish  mosque.  In  the  days  of  Israel’s  glory,  it 
was  devoted  to  the  worship  of  the  idol  Rimmon,  the  favorite 
god  of  the  Syrians.  It  was  doubtless  here  that  Naaman 
was  wont  to  “  bow  down  in  the  house  of  Pimmon,”  when  he 
accompanied  his  master  there,  and  for  which  he  craved  the 
indulgence  of  the  prophet.  Over  the  arch  of  one  of  the  prin¬ 
cipal  entrances  to  the  mosque  (curious  enough,  as  showing 
what  was  its  former  character)  is  a  cross,  with  a  Greek  in¬ 
scription,  containing  these  words :  “  Thy  kingdom,  0  Christ,  is 
an  everlasting  kingdom;  and  thy  dominion  endureth  throughout 
all  generations  ’ ’  How  strange  that  such  a  truth  should  have 
been  thus  silently  but  constantly  proclaimed  for  more  than 
twelve  hundred  years,  at  the  threshold  of  one  of  the  most 
sacred  shrines  of  the  followers  of  the  false  prophet  1 


IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


179 


A  Near  View  of  Damascus. — We  finished  our  visit  to  the 
great  mosque  by  ascending  the  minaret — two  hundred  and  fifty 
feet  high — to  enjoy  the  view  which  it  affords  of  the  city  as  seen 
from  such  a  point.  And  charming,  indeed,  was  the  prospect 
thus  afforded.  There  lay  the  great  city,  with  its  gorgeous 
buildings,  its  countless  domes  and  minarets,  spread  out  at  our 
feet.  These,  with  the  luxuriant  gardens  that  surround  them, — 
the  grand  desert  mountain  range  beyond,  and,  crowning  all, 
in  the  far-otf  distance,  the  snow-capped  summit  of  Hermon, 
blending  with  the  clouds  that  rest  upon  them, — make  up  a 
panorama  which  has  but  few  to  equal  it  on  earth. 


180 


ILL  USTRA  TED  RA  MBLES 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

FROM  DAMASCUS  TO  BAALBEK — LAST  VIEW  OF  DAMASCUS — AIN 
FIJEH— THE  GORGE  OF  THE  BARADA — A  NIGHT  SCENE  IN  THE 
MOUNTAINS— AN  ORIENTAL  ENTERTAINMENT — A  SNOW  STORM 
ON  THE  MOUNTAINS — BAALBEK — ITS  SITUATION — ITS  AGE — 
ITS  RUINS — A  SABBATH  IN  THE  TEMPLE  OF  JUPITER. 

Departure  from  Damascus. — We  left  Damascus  on  the 
5th  of  April,  a  beautiful  spring  morning,  on  our  way  to  Baalbek. 
Our  route  at  first  lay  directly  up  the  side  of  the  mountains  to 
the  north  of  the  city.  We  paused  for  a  while  on  reaching  the 
summit  of  the  mountain,  to  get  the  last  look  at  Damascus. 

Nothing  can  exceed  the  richness  and  beauty  of  the  scene  there 
spread  out  before  the  eye  of  the  beholder.  The  great  plain 
beneath  is  like  a  vast  ocean  of  luxuriant  verdure,  surrounding 
the  beautiful  city  on  every  side.  The  plain  of  Damascus  is  of 
a  triangular  shape.  The  northwestern  side  is  formed  by  the 
long  line  of  the  Anti-Lebanon,  the  southern  by  the  river  Phar- 
par,  and  the  eastern  by  a  long  line  drawn  through  the  lakes, 
which  are  connected  with  the  extensive  system  of  irrigation  that 
prevails  here.  All  the  fertility  and  beauty  of  this  marvellous 
plain  is  due  to  this  artificial  but  extensive  method  of  irrigation. 
But  for  this,  what  the  eye  now  rests  on  with  such  delight, 
as  an  earthly  paradise,  would  be  a  waste  howling  wilderness. 
About  a  hundred  villages  dot  this  plain,  with  a  population  of 
upwards  of  40,000.  The  river  Baracla,  the  Abana  of  Scrip¬ 
ture,  flows  through  it  from  west  to  east.  The  greater  part  of 
its  water  is  led  off  by  canals  for  irrigation,  spreading  life,  and 
verdure,  and  beauty  on  every  hand.  The  scene  was  one  on 
which  the  eye  loves  to  linger,  and  the  impression  of  which 
is  preserved  on  memory’s  tablet  as  a  life-long  treasure.  But 
the  last  look  wras  taken,  and  we  turned  reluctantly  away  from 
Damascus. 

We  then  continued  our  journey  across  the  range  of  the  Anti- 
Lebanon,  with  Plermon’s  majestic,  snow-capped  summit  in  full 


IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


181 


view.  Grandeur  and  desolation  are  the  most  striking  features 
of  this  range  of  mountains.  After  crossing  them,  we  entered  a 
magnificent  gorge,  with  one  of  the  principal  branches  of  the 
Barada  flowing  through  the  bottom  of  it.  Our  path  now  went 
winding  about  through  a  succession  of  the  grandest  scenes 
imaginable. 

Ain  Fijeh. — About  the  middle  of  the  afternoon  we  reached 
a  noted  place  in  this  gorge  known  as  Ain  Fijeh,  or  the  Foun¬ 
tain  of  Fijeh.  It  is  near  a  village  of  the  same  name,  in  one  of 
the  wildest  parts  of  the  gorge  of  the  Barada.  The  fountain  is 
one  of  the  most  striking  in  Syria;  indeed  there  are  few  to 
equal  it  in  any  land.  The  ruins  of  a  very  ancient  temple  stand 
at  the  foot  of  a  steep  cliff.  The  fountain  issues  from  a  cave 
under  the  ruins  of  a  temple.  It  rushes  out  in  vast  volumes, 
with  a  great  roar,  a  young  river  at  the  start — thirty  feet  in 
width,  and  three  or  four  in  depth — clear,  sparkling,  and  beauti¬ 
ful.  It  forms  one  of  the  chief  branches  of  the  Abana,  to  which 
Damascus  is  indebted  for  so  much  of  its  fertility  and  beauty. 
The  valley  here  is  about  200  yards  wide ;  the  bottom  along  the 
banks  of  the  stream  filled  with  orchards  and  poplar  groves ; 
above  these  are  a  few  vineyards,  carried  up  the  shelving  moun¬ 
tain  side  as  far  as  a  man  can  gain  a  footing.  To  these  succeed 
jagged  cliffs,  which  rise  to  the  height  of  a  thousand  feet,  or 
more,  above  the  bed  of  the  river. 

After  leaving  this  beautiful  fountain,  we  continued  our  ride 
for  two  hours  more  through  scenery  of  the  wildest  and  most  in¬ 
teresting  character.  The  road  winds  round  the  side  of  stupen¬ 
dous  mountains,  overhanging  steep  precipices,  with  richly  culti¬ 
vated  gardens,  and  fields  at  the  bottom  of  the  gorge.  It  is  a 
sort  of  Corniche  bridle-path,  developing  new  scenes  of  interest 
at  every  turn. 

Our  camping-ground,  at  the  close  of  this  day’s  journey, 
was  a  very  picturesque  one.  It  was  on  a  small  plateau 
on  the  slope  of  a  high  mountain,  that  overhangs  the  valley, 
or  glen,  where  the  river  Barada  has  one  of  its  many  sources. 
The  valley  is  shut  in  all  round  by  a  range  of  lofty  mountains. 


182 


ILLUSTRATED  RAMBLES 


The  Gorge  of  the  Barada. — This  gorge  follows  the  wind¬ 
ing  of  the  river  Barada,  as  it  makes  its  way  through  the  moun¬ 
tains  of  the  Anti-Lebanon  range.  It  is  remarkable  for  the  un¬ 
usual  blending  which  it  presents  of  the  elements  of  the  grand 
and  the  beautiful.  I  never  enjoyed  a  ride  more  in  my  life. 
The  first  part  of  it  was  through  a  continuation  of  the  same 
grand  Gorge  of  the  Barada  which  we  had  entered  on  the  pre¬ 
vious  day.  It  seemed  to  grow  wilder  and  more  interesting  as 
we  advanced.  Venerable  ruins  of  ancient  buildings  were  passed 
at  several  points.  The  rocks  on  the  precipitous  sides  of  the 
mountains  have  been  perforated  with  tombs,  many  of  which 
have  been  furnished  with  doors  and  facades,  like  dwellings,  and 
looked  very  much  as  I  have  supposed  the  rock-hewn  dwellings 
of  Petra  must  appear.  I  can  give  no  better  idea  of  this  mag¬ 
nificent  gorge  than  to  say,  that  it  is  wilder  and  grander  far  than 
the  wildest  parts  of  the  famous  Notches  in  our  White  Moun¬ 
tains  ;  but  that  instead  of  being  traversed  in  half  an  hour  or  so, 
as  is  the  case  with  them,  it  took  us  the  best  part  of  two  days  of 
continuous  travelling  to  get  through  it. 

A  Memorable  Night  Scene. — On  the  evening  of  April 
6th,  we  pitched  our  tents  for  the  night  at  the  little  village  of 
Surghaya,  far  up  among  the  mountains.  In  the  notes  of  our 
journal  penned  that  evening,  I  find  the  following  reference  to 
the  incidents  which  occurred  during  the  previous  night. 

About  the  hour  of  midnight,  the  inmates  of  our  tent — two  of 
my  companions  and  myself — -were  suddenly  awakened  by  the 
heavy  fall  of  something  across  our  bed.  On  rousing  ourselves, 
it  became  apparent  in  a  moment  that  a  furious  blast  of  wind, 
sweeping  through  the  gorge,  had  prostrated  our  tent,  and  brought 
it  down  upon  us.  It  was  impossible  for  us  to  extricate  ourselves 
from  the  dilemma  into  which  we  were  so  suddenly  thrown.  Our 
dragoman,  Ali  Solyman,  and  his  attendants,  were  wrapped  in 
the  profoundest  slumber  in  another  part  of  the  camp.  The  first 
thing  to  be  done  was  to  arouse  them  to  a  knowledge  of  our  con¬ 
dition.  But  how  was  this  to  be  accomplished  ?  It  was  hardly 
possible  for  us  to  leave  our  beds,  even  if  we  had  felt  disposed  to 


IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


183 


do  so.  The  only  available  plan  was  to  try  and  make  noise 
enough  to  awake  them.  This  we  proceeded  at  once  to  do  by  a 
vigorous  and  united  series  of  loud  shoutings.  Wild  “  halloos  !” 
and  vociferous  cries  of  “  O,  Ali !  Ali !”  might  there  be  heard 
ringing  out  upon  the  midnight  air.  Happily  for  us,  the  effort 
was  successful.  Pretty  soon  Ali  and  his  forces  came  to  the  res¬ 
cue.  These  men  never  think  of  undressing  at  night ;  and,  of 
course,  on  awakening,  they  were  ready  for  immediate  action. 
Taking  in  “the  situation”  at  once,  they  proceeded  to  afford 
relief.  They  first  removed  the  prostrate  tent  which  enveloped 
us,  and  spread  it  out  on  the  adjoining  ground,  to  arrange  it  for 
resetting.  This  occupied  them  the  best  part  of  an  hour:  at 
least  it  seemed  that  long  to  us.  They  worked  to  disadvantage, 
of  course,  as  they  were  of  necessity  working  in  the  dark.  In 
the  meantime  wTe  were  left,  literally  and  truly,  “  out  in  the 
cold.”  I  never  in  my  life  had  so  vivid  an  impression  of  the 
real  meaning  of  this  oft-quoted  phrase.  There  we  lay,  each  on 
his  little  iron  bedstead,  with  the  piercing  blasts  from  the  neigh¬ 
boring  snow-capped  mountains  sweeping  over  us,  and  nothing 
but  the  glittering  canopy  of  the  sky  above  us. 

The  Beauty  of  the  Syrian  Sky  at  Night. — It  was  in¬ 
deed  a  splendid  sight  which  the  heavens  afforded  at  that  mid¬ 
night  hour,  if  we  could  only  have  been  favored  with  more 
comfortable  surroundings  for  the  contemplation  of  it.  The 
firmament  was  like  a  vast  arch  of  ebony  crystal.  The  stars 
shone  out  with  a  sparkling  brilliance  such  as  we  never  witness 
in  our  own  country.  It  was  the  first  lesson  in  astronomy  I  ever 
studied  in  bed.  The  Great  Bear  was  directly  over  my  head, 
taking  his  stately  march  around  the  Polar  Star,  in  solemn 
silence,  as  usual,  and  seeming  as  calm  and  unconcerned  as 
though  everything  was  going  on  smoothly,  and  there  were  no 
poor  shivering  travellers  in  so  sorry  a  plight,  on  whom  his  seven 
bright  stars  were  shining.  But  it  was  quite  too  cold  to  give 
attention  to  anything  so  far  away,  and  so  abstract  as  those  stars 
were.  Accordingly  we  gave  up  the  study  of  astronomy  for  the 
time  being,  and  covering  our  heads  all  over  with  the  bed-clothes, 


184 


ILLUSTRATED  RAMBLES 


our  chief  study  tlierr  was  to  keep  as  warm  as  possible  till  the 
friendly  shelter  of  the  tent  was  again  thrown  around  us.  This 
was  done  at  last,  though  very  imperfectly ;  for  when  the  day¬ 
light  dawned,  we  found  great  openings  had  been  left  in  the  tent 
on  all  sides,  through  which  the  wind  found  access  in  a  way  far 
more  conducive  to  ventilation  than  to  comfort.  This  was  espe¬ 
cially  apparent  when  we  came  to  dress,  an  operation  that  was 
performed  by  us  all  that  morning  in  double  quick  time. 

An  Oriental  Lunch. — On  passing  out  from  the  gorge  of 
the  Barada,  we  crossed  a  long  fertile  plain,  lying  between  the 
mountains.  At  the  upper  end  of  the  plains  is  a  little  village 
where  we  stopped  to  lunch,  at  the  house  of  the  sheik  of  the  vil¬ 
lage,  who  was  a  friend  of  Ali,  our  dragoman.  He  received  us 
cordially,  and  entertained  us  with  true  oriental  hospitality.  A 
rug  was  spread  on  the  floor  in  the  middle  of  the  room,  around 
which  we  sat  on  mats,  in  Turkish  style,  to  help  ourselves.  There 
were  piles  of  bread  and  cakes,  made  just  in  the  way  in  which 
the  cakes  of  bread  of  which  we  read  in  the  Bible  wTere  made. 
Water  and  meal  are  mixed  together  to  the  proper  consistency, 
then  rolled  out,  and  baked  by  being  spread  over  the  inner 
side  of  oval  iron  pans,  that  have  been  previously  heated  for  the 
purpose.  Then  there  were  plates  of  sour  cheese,  something  like 
our  cottage  cheese,  pickled  olives,  &c.  We  tried  in  vain  to 
force  down  some  of  these  proffered  dainties ;  but  it  was  hard 
work  to  make  even  a  show  of  eating,  and  we  should  have  fared 
badly  if  we  had  not  had  our  own  provisions  to  fall  back  upon. 

A  Snow  Storm  on  the  Mountains. — Our  last  night’s  en¬ 
campment,  before  reaching  Baalbek,  was  near  the  mountains  of 
Surghaya,  already  spoken  of.  Before  retiring  to  rest  that  night, 
I  took  a  look  outside  our  tent,  and  saw  that  the  new  moon  was 
shining  beautifully ;  and  I  comforted  myself  with  the  thought 
of  the  good  prospect  we  had  of  a  pleasant  day  on  the  morrow, 
in  which  to  finish  our  journey  to  Baalbek.  But,  on  awaking 
the  next  morning,  I  found,  to  my  great  dismay,  that  a  heavy 
fall  of  snow  had  taken  place  during  the  night,  and  that  the 
snow  was  still  falling  fast.  The  change  thus  wrought  in  the 


186 


ILLUSTRATED  RAMBLES 


as  we  came  winding  slowl)r  down  the  side  of  this  hill.  The 
whole  range  of  Lebanon  was  in  sight  on  the  other  side  of  the 
plain.  The  mountains’ were  all  arrayed  in  spotless  white,  while 
gorgeous  clouds  were  mantling  their  summits,  aud  the  sunshine 
was  lighting  them  up  grandly,  making  altogether  a  sight  most 
beautiful  and  inspiring  to  contemplate.  It  reminded  me,  more 
than  anything  I  have  ever  seen,  of  Church’s  great  painting  of 
“  The  Heart  of  the  Andes.” 

Our  Quarters  in  Baalbek. — Most  travellers  pitch  their 
tents  during  their  stay  here  amidst  the  ruins  of  the  Temple  of  the 
Sun.  We  should  have  liked  to  have  done  the  same,  but  as  we 
had  left  our  tents  behind,  among  the  mountains,  we  could  not  do 
this  ;  aud  even  if  the  tents  had  been  with  us,  the  ground  was  all 
covered  with  snow,  so  that  camping  on  it  would  have  been  any¬ 
thing  but  pleasant.  Our  dragoman,  however,  took  us  to  a  house 
in  the  modern  village,  a  one-story  building,  with  a  socl-covered 
roof,  where  we  found  plain  and  primitive,  but  very  comfortable, 
accommodations. 

The  Situation  of  Baalbek. — If  you  look  at  a  map  of 
Palestine,  and  find  these  three  places — Damascus,  Baalbek  and 
Beyrout — you  will  see  that  if  a  line  were  drawn  to  connect 
them  together,  it  would  make  an  irregulaT  sort  of  a  triangle. 
There  are  two  great  mountain  ranges  in  the  northern  part  of 
Palestine.  One  of  these,  on  the  western  side,  or  nearest  the  sea, 
is  the  Lebanon  range.  The  celebrated  mountain,  Lebanon, 
after  which  this  range  is  named,  which  is  the  highest  mountain 
in  Palestine,  is  in  this  range.  The  other  range,  to  the  east  of 
this,  is  the  Anti-Lebanon.  So  we  have  here  the  Lebanon  range, 
and  the  range  that  is  over  against  it,  or  the  Anti-Lebanon 
range.  Between  these  two  ranges  of  mountains  is  a  long  and 
fertile  plain.  It  is  called  the  Plain  of  Bukaa.  Baalbek  is 
situated  in  the  midst  of  this  plain.  It  is  one  of  the  most  beau¬ 
tiful  plains  I  ever  saw.  We  rode  across  it  in  going  over  from 
Baalbek  to  Mount  Lebanon.  And  then  in  going  from  Lebanon 
to  Beyrout,  we  were  a  day  and  a  half  riding  down  this  plain. 
In  this  way  we  had  a  good  opportunity  of  seeing  and  admiring 


IN  BIBLE  LANDS.] 


187 


it.  The  ground  is  very  rich  and  fertile.  It  is  highly  cultivated, 
and  we  rode  along  all  the  way  through  large  fields,  in  which 
the  grass  was  growing,  and  the  grain  was  waving  beautifully. 
In  the  midst  of  this  plain  lies  Baalbek,  like  a  little  brown 
island  in  the  bosom  of  a  beautiful  green  sea.  I  often  shut  my 
eyes  and  call  up  the  picture  which  memory  took  of  that  broad 
lovely  plain,  with  the  ruined  city  that  lies  in  the  midst  of  it. 

Baalbek  as  it  was  and  as  it  is. — It  is  impossible  to  give 
the  history  of  Baalbek.  Its  foundation  and  origin  are  of  very 
early  date.  Those  temples,  whose  ruins  so  many  people  go  to 
look  at,  were  built  before  the  time  of  our  Saviour.  They  have 
stood  for  more  than  two  thousand  years !  But  mystery  hangs 
over  their  early  days ;  and  when  they  were  built,  or  who  was 
the  builder  of  them,  no  one  can  tell.  Baalbek  was  once  a  place 
of  considerable  size.  It  was  a  walled  city,  and  its  wralls  were 
two  miles  in  extent.  Now  it  contains  not  more  than  a  hundred 
miserable  little  one-story  cabins.  There  is  no  hotel  in  the  place. 
Travellers  who  come  here  generally  pitch  their  tents  in  the 
court  of  the  larger  temple,  where  they  are  surrounded  by  the 
grand  old  ruins. 

The  Ruins  of  Baalbek. — These  are  the  chief  point  of  in¬ 
terest  in  this  famous  place.  We  spent  four  days  here,  and  had 
full  opportunity  of  examining  them.  They  are  among  the  most 
interesting  ruins  to  be  found  in  the  world.  There  are  others 
more  extensive,  but  none  that  present  finer  specimens  of  all  that 
is  most  beautiful  in  architecture  and  sculpture.  The  Temple 
of  Jupiter  is  the  gem  of  the  whole.  It  is  larger  than  the  Par¬ 
thenon  at  Athens,  and  is  the  model  after  which  both  that  and 
our  own  Girard  College  were  built.  Its  antiquity  is  so  great  that 
it  is  not  known  when,  or  by  whom,  it  was  planned  and  erected. 
Its  dimensions  are  227  feet  by  117.  The  style  is  Corinthian. 
It  originally  had  42  columns  around  it,  155  feet  high  and  (1 
feet  3  inches  in  diameter.  Most  of  the  columns  have  fallen,  but 
nineteen  of  them  are  still  standing.  The  walls  of  the  central 
building  remain,  but  their  ornaments  are  greatly  decayed. 
Some  of  the  most  delicate  and  intricate  friezes  and  cornices  are 


188 


ILLUSTRATED  RAMBLES 


as  distinct  in  figure  and  as  sharp  in  outline  now,  after  more 
than  twenty  centuries  have  passed  over  them,  as  if  they  were 
just  fresh  from  the  hands  of  the  sculptor.  The  finest  parts  of 
this  beautiful  structure  were  destroyed  and  ruined  by  the  Turks. 
One  miserable  pasha  put  a  mine  of  powder  under  a  portion  of 
it,  and  blew  it  up,  to  get  five  dollars’  worth  of  lead  from  among 
the  stones ! 

The  Temple  of  Baal,  or  the  Sun,  is  the  most  extensive  of  the 
ruins.  The  great  court  in  front  of  it  is  440  feet  long  by  370 
wide.  The  walls  of  this  court,  as  well  as  of  the  temple  itself, 
are  covered  with  the  most  elaborate  and  wonderful  ornamenta¬ 
tion.  Only  six  of  the  original  columns  are  left  standing,  with 
the  cornice  and  the  entablature  above  them.  These  are  what 
are  generally  seen  in  pictures  of  these  ruins.  Nothing  can  ex¬ 
ceed  the  exquisite  taste  and  beauty  which  mark  these  splendid 
remains  of  antiquity.  It  is  scarcely  possible  to  imagine  how 
perfectly  magnificent  these  wonderful  buildings  must  have 
been  when  they  stood  in  all  their  completeness.  To  see  those 
prostrate  columns  and  broken  capitals  lying  tumbled  together 
in  utter  confusion,  and  mouldering  to  decay,  gives  rise  to  very 
sad  emotions.  And  yet,  how  impressive  the  lesson  they  teach, 
as  to  the  vanity  of  wealth,  intelligence,  and  skill,  when  conse¬ 
crated  to  any  other  purpose  than  the  service  and  glory  of  the 
living  God ! 

Tite  Great  Stones  of  Baalbek. — The  most  surprising 
thing  about  these  ruins  is  the  Cyclopean  nature  of  the  work  to 
which  they  pertain.  In  the  outer  walls  of  the  Temple  of  the 
Sun  are  some  of  the  most  enormous  stones  ever  quarried,  shaped, 
and  put  together  by  human  hands.  Some  of  them  are  60  feet 
long  and  12  feet  square.  And  about  a  mile  from  the  village, 
lying  in  the  quarry  from  which  the  stones  for  these  buildings 
were  taken,  is  one  stone  even  larger  still.  It  lies  in  an  inclined 
position,  shaped,  squared  and  dressed,  but  still  connected,  at  one 
end,  with  the  native  rock  to  which  it  originally  belonged.  We 
measured  this  carefully,  and  found  it  68  feet  long  by  15  square. 
We  get  a  better  idea  of  the  stupendous  dimensions  of  this  stone 


IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


189 


when  we  think  that,  if  it  were  set  up  on  its  encl  and  excavated, 
it  would  make  a  four-story  house,  with  the  rooms  in  it  14  feet 
square  and  their  ceilings  14  feet  high.  It  is  hard  to  imagine 
how  such  huge  masses  of  solid  stone  were  ever  moved  from  the 
quarry,  or  raised  to  the  places  which  they  occupy.  I  doubt  if 
the  appliances  of  modern  art  or  skill  could  accomplish  it.  It 
is  calculated  that  it  would  require  the  united  strength  of  40,000 
men,  or  an  engine  of  30,000  horse  power,  to  move  one  of  them. 

A  Sabbath  at  Baalbek.— We  spent  a  Sabbath  here.  In 
the  morning  of  the  day,  one  of  my  companions  and  1  went  by 
ourselves  into  the  Temple  of  Jupiter,  and  sitting  down  just 
where  the  altar  formerly  stood,  we  went  through  the  morning 
service  of  the  Episcopal  church,  and  then  read  a  sermon.  The 
opening  sentences  of  the  Te  Deum,  “We  praise  thee,  O  God; 
we  acknowledge  thee  to  be  the  Lord,”  &c.,  sounded  very  grand 
and  impressive  in  that  old  shrine  of  idolatry !  The  sermon 
read  on  this  occasion  was  one  which  I  had  written  several  years 
before  on  the  words,  “  Will  a  man  leave  the  snow  of  Lebanon  ? 
or  shall  the  cold  flowing  waters  be  forsaken?”  Jer.  xviii.  14. 
Some  of  the  descriptions  of  the  Lebanon  range,  borrowed  from 
travellers  and  introduced  into  the  sermon,  were  so  highly 
wrought,  that  I  feared  they  must  be  overdrawn,  and  I  took  the 
sermon  with  me  for  the  purpose  of  reading  it  amidst  the  scenery 
which  it  described.  The  result  was,  that  I  was  prepared  fully 
to  endorse  every  utterance  of  the  sermon  in  regard  to  the 
description  of  the  scenery  in  Lebanon.  I  have  seldom  enjoyed 
a  season  of  worship  more  than  I  did  that  morning  service  in 
that  old  heathen  temple.  After  it  was  over,  my  companion 
and  I  sat  and  talked  about  it,  and  wondered  if  any  two  Christian 
people  had  ever  before  united  to  worship  the  God  of  the  Bible 
in  that  old  home  of  idolatry. 


190 


ILLUSTRATED  RAMBLES 


CHAPTER  XV. 

FROM  BAALBEK  TO  BEIRUT — THE  VILLAGE  OF  AIN  ATA — START¬ 
ING  FOR  THE  CEDARS — THE  GROVE  OF  CEDARS — THE  POINTS 
OF  INTEREST  ABOUT  LEBANON — THE  DESCENT  OF  LEBANON 
RANGE — BEIRUT — OLD  TYRE. 

From  Baalbek  to  the  Cedars  of  Lebanon. — We  were 
very  anxious  to  visit  those  famous  cedars ;  but,  while  sojourning 
at  Baalbek,  we  had  given  up  the  idea  of  doing  so.  We  thought, 
naturally  enough,  that  the  heavy  fall  of  snow  encountered  on 
the  mountains,  before  reaching  Baalbek,  would  make  it  diffi¬ 
cult,  if  not  impossible,  to  reach  the  summit  of  the  lofty  range 
of  Lebanon.  Our  dragoman  proposed  to  send  a  messenger  to 
the  village  at  the  foot  of  the  mountain,  to  inquire  if  it  were 
possible  to  make  the  ascent.  The  man  brought  back  word  that 
it  could  easily  be  done.  We  were  surprised  at  the  message,  but 
concluded  to  go. 

Here  let  me  advise  future  travellers  to  this  region  never  to 
repeat  our  foolish  experiment  of  asking  the  opinion  of  the 
natives  on  such  a  subject,  or  of  attempting  to  approach  the 
cedars  so  soon  after  a  heavy  fall  of  snow.  The  men  whose 
opinion  w?as  asked  thought  of  nothing  but  the  “  backsheesh  ”  to 
be  gotten  from  a  company  of  travellers,  and  will  always  advise 
everybody  to  go  ;  and  whether  the  attempt  to  reach  the  cedars 
is  successful  or  not,  they  get  their  pay,  and  that  is  all  they  care 
for. 

We  left  Baalbek  on  the  morning  of  April  the  11th,  a  bright 
and  beautiful  morning,  and  passing  over  the  magnificent  plain, 
in  the  midst  of  which  the  celebrated  ruins  of  that  city  stand, 
and  then  crossing  the  lower  ridges  of  the  Lebanon  range,  by  the 
middle  of  the  afternoon  we  reached  our  camping-place  for  the 
night,  at  the  village  of 

Ain  Ata. — This  is  a  wretched  little  village  at  the  foot  of  the 
central  range  of  Lebanon.  It  is  one  of  the  principal  points 
from  which  the  cedars  are  approached.  It  is  as  far  as  the  jour- 


IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


191 


ney  can  be  made  on  horseback.  Starting  from  this  village,  it  is 
necessary  to  go  on  foot  across  the  summit  of  Lebanon,  and  then 
down  a  thousand  feet  on  the  other  side,  to  where  the  “  Grove  of 
the  Cedars  ”  is  situated.  It  is  a  most  toilsome  tramp  to  take, 
even  when  the  ground  is  clear ;  but  the  difficulty  was  greatly 
increased  by  the  deep  snow  which  covered  the  mountains. 

On  our  arrival  at  the  village,  all  the  inhabitants  turned  out, 
and  gathered  round  our  encampment — men,  women  and  chil¬ 
dren  squatting  on  the  ground,  watching  everything  that  was 
done,  and  gazing  at  us  with  as  much  interest  and  curiosity  as 
though  we  were  beings  from  another  planet. 

While  dinner  was  preparing,  we  took  a  stroll  through  the 
village.  All  the  villages  of  this  land  are  wretched  enough,  but 
this  one  exceeds  in  squalid  misery  anything  else  wTe  had  seen  in 
our  wanderings.  It  is  a  mere  collection  of  mud  hovels,  and  in 
some  of  the  best  of  them  we  noticed,  in  passing,  that  cows,  sheep 
and  goats  were  herding  promiscuously  with  the  human  animals 
who  inhabited  them. 

Starting  for  the  Cedars. — We  had  an  early  breakfast 
the  next  morning,  and  by  seven  o’clock  were  ready  for  the  start. 
We  had  engaged  eight  mountaineers  to  go  with  us  as  guided  and 
attendants,  each  of  whom  was  to  receive  five  francs  as  his  pay ; 
but  when  wTe  came  to  start,  we  found  a  noisy  set  of  more  than 
thirty  dirty,  ragged-looking  fellows,  all  eager  to  join  the  party. 
We  tried  our  best  to  send  them  back,  but  they  would  insist  on 
going,  and  go  they  did.  We  found  the  snow  much  deeper  on 
the  mountains  than  we  had  expected.  The  ascent  is  very  steep 
and  difficult.  I  had  a  man  on  each  side  of  me,  and  so  had  my 
companions.  We  put  an  arm  round  the  neck  of  each  of  these 
men,  while  they  clasped  their  hands  behind  our  backs,  and  thus, 
with  a  sort  of  living  crutch  under  each  arm,  we  made  our  ascent. 
We  never  could  have  done  it  without  this  help ;  and  even  thus 
assisted,  we  were  obliged  to  stop  every  little  while  to  take 
breath.  It  was  one  unbroken  ascent,  without  any  intervening 
level  spaces,  such  as  are  ordinarily  found  in  mountain-climbing. 
I  could  compare  it  to  nothing  but  going  up  stairs  in  the  snow, 


192 


ILLUSTRATED  RAMBLES 


for  three  hours  at  a  stretch.  In  such  an  operation,  with  the 
snow  more  than  a  foot  deep,  it  is  easy  to  imagine  what  the 
fatigue  would  be.  I  never  undertook  anything  so  toilsome,  and 
never  should  have  attempted  this  if  I  had  had  an  idea  of  what 
it  would  be. 

On  reaching  the  summit  of  the  mountain,  after  this  three 
hours’  toil,  we  found  that  we  were  still  only  a  little  more  than 
half-way  to  the  cedars.  We  could  see  them  distinctly  far  off  in 
the  distance,  with  a  deep,  unbroken  mass  of  snow  all  the  way 
between  us  and  them.  The  idea  of  three  hours  more  of  such 
toil  to  reach  them,  and  then  five  or  six  hours  more  to  get  back 

again,  made  us  pause.  So  brother  C -  and  I  concluded  at 

once  to  go  no  further,  but  to  rest  satisfied  with  the  distant  view 
of  those  famous  trees  which  we  had  from  the  top  of  the  moun¬ 
tain.  A  friend  who  was  with  us  resolved  to  go  on.  He  was  a 
young  man  in  the  prime  of  life,  with  great  powers  of  endurance 
and  indomitable  perseverance.  So  we  divided  our  attendants, 
he  taking  half  of  them  and  going  on,  and  we  taking  the  other 
half  and  returning,  after  stopping  a  while  to  rest  and  enjoy  the 
prospect.  The  going  down,  of  course,  was  much  easier  than  the 
going  up.  W e  needed  no  help  in  this,  and  we  got  back  to  our 
tents  between  twelve  and  one,  after  five  or  six  hours  of  as  toil¬ 
some  a  tramp  as  I  ever  care  to  take.  It  would  have  occupied 
us  at  least  five  hours  more  to  have  gone  to  the  cedars  and  re¬ 
turned,  and  this  was  more  than  we  felt  either  able  or  willing 
to  undergo.  We  are  perfectly  satisfied  that  ours  was  the  wiser 
course.  For  myself,  I  found  that  the  recent  exposure  was 
just  about  as  much  as  I  could  bear.  I  spent  the  afternoon 
in  resting  on  my  bed,  with  a  basin  of  melted  snow-water  near, 
in  which  I  kept  soaking  a  pocket-handkerchief  and  applying  it 
to  my  head,  which  was  burning  like  a  furnace,  with  severe 
throbbing  pain.  This  was  the  result  of  exposure  to  the  sun  in 
the  morning.  And  from  this  experience,  I  am  satisfied  that  if 
I  had  not  turned  back  when  I  did,  but  had  gone  on  to  the 
cedars,  and  been  exposed  to  the  sun  all  day,  I  should  never 
have  seen  my  home  again. 


Mountains  of  Lebanon. 


IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


193 


Some  general  remarks  about  this  glorious  mountain  range 
may  not  be  out  of  place  here. 

Lebanon  in  Beauty  and  Grandeur. — There  is  much 
connected  with  such  a  range  of  mountains  to  make  them  both 
grand  and  beautiful.  One  thing  that  helps  to  do  this  is  their 
great  height.  The  loftiest  summit  of  this  range  is  ten  thousand 
five  hundred  feet  high.  This  is  the  highest  mountain  in  Pales¬ 
tine.  At  the  southern  end  of  this  range  stands  Mount  Herinon. 
This  is  nine  thousand  feet  in  height.  As  we  stood  on  the  sum¬ 
mit  of  the  Lebanon  range,  and  gazed  around,  it  Avas  easy  to 
understand  that  the  glorious  prospect  which  it  afforded  of  all  the 
country  around,  was  another  thing  which  added  to  the  beauty 
and  grandeur  of  Lebanon.  The  mountains  that  lay  around 
us  Avere  all  covered  with  a  robe  of  snowy  Avhiteness.  At 
the  foot  of  the  mountains,  on  the  eastern  side,  and  lying 
betAveen  the  Lebanon  and  the  Anti-Lebanon  range,  Avas  the 
wide  and  fertile  plain  in  the  midst  of  which  Baalbek  stands. 
The  suoav  had  disappeared  from  this  plain,  and  its'  rich 
fields  of  grass  and  grain  looked  like  a  beautiful  sea  betAveen 
the  mountains.  The  contrast  betAveen  the  dark  green  color  of 
this  broad  plain  and  the  mantle  of  pure  white  snow  round  the 
mountains  made  the  prospect  before  us  very  interesting. 

When  we  turned  in  the  other  direction,  and  looked  towards 
the  west,  the  prospect  Avas  different,  but  still  everything  we  suav 
was  either  beautiful  or  grand.  There  Avas  the  same  white  robe 
of  snow  everyAvhere,  and  this  is  always  beautiful.  And  then, 
about  a  thousand  feet  beloAV  us,  and  at  a  distance  of  some  miles 
aAvay,  we  saw  the  grove  of  cedars  Avhich  we  had  come  so  far  to 
visit,  and  were  obliged  to  go  aAvay  without  actually  reaching. 
This  grove  appeared  like  a  great  mass  of  deep,  dark  green, 
lying  right  in  the  bosom  of  the  snowy  valley  out  of  which  the 
cedars  groAV.  This  was  beautiful.  And,  on  every  side,  the 
great  mountains  were  lifting  their  giant  forms  to  the  sky,  all 
covered  Avith  the  same  pure  robe  of  snowy  white,  and  this  Avas 
both  beautiful  and  grand  to  look  at.  Beyond  the  cedars,  Ave 
could  see  the  mountains  sinking  down  towards  the  sea ;  and 
13 


194 


ILLUSTRATED  RAMBLES 


far  away,  beyond  the  base  of  the  mountains,  we  could  see  the 
dark  blue  waters  of  the  Mediterranean.  This  shut  in  the  view 
on  that  side,  and  added  very  much  to  both  the  beauty  and  the 
grandeur  of  the  view  from  the  top  of  Lebanon. 

In  addition  to  the  height  of  Lebanon,  and  the  extent  of 
prospect  which  it  affords,  the  great  variety  that  may  be  seen 
from  this  mountain  top  adds  much  to  the  beauty  and  gran¬ 
deur  of  Lebanon.  We  are  accustomed  to  see  only  one  sea¬ 
son  at  a  time.  And  we  know  that  every  season  of  the  year 
has  some  peculiar  beauty  about  it.  But  the  Arabs  are  in  the 
habit  of  saying,  that  “  Lebanon  carries  winter  on  its  head, 
spring  upon  its  shoulders,  summer  in  its  bosom,  while  autumn 
lies  sleeping  at  its  feet.”  And  this  is  strictly  true ;  for  this 
range  is  composed  of  four  distinct  courses  of  mountains,  rising 
one  above  the  other.  The  first,  or  lowest,  is  fertile,  and  abounds 
with  grain  and  fruit ;  the  second  is  barren  and  burnt,  like  the 
land  in  this  country  in  summer  time ;  the  third  enjoys  perpetual 
spring ;  while  the  fourth,  or  highest,  is  covered  with  perpetual 
snow,  where  winter,  with  its  cold  and  frost,  always  reigns. 

But,  in  the  second  place,  we  may  look  at  Lebanon  in  its  use¬ 
fulness  to  the  land.  God  made  everything  to  be  useful.  The 
sun,  the  moon,  the  stars,  the  oceans,  the  rivers,  the  trees,  the 
plants,  the  flowers,  all  have  some  useful  purpose  to  fulfill. 
This  is  true  of  the  mountains  also.  Every  mountain  was  made 
for  some  particular  purpose.  A  great  mountain  range  like  this 
of  Lebanon  may  be  useful  for  a  variety  of  purposes ;  but 
there  are  two  uses  which  are  very  plain  to  us.  One  of  these  is 
its  effect  upon  the  air  of  the  country.  Palestine  is  a  very  hot 
country.  The  sun  shines  there  with  great  power.  David  speaks 
of  the  sun  in  that  land  as  “  smiting  ”  persons.  In  Psalm  cxxi. 
6,  he  says,  “  the  sun  shall  not  smite  thee  by  day.”  This  seems 
to  refer  to  the  great  power  of  the  sun.  And  Jacob  complained 
to  his  uncle  Laban,  that  “  by  day,  the  drought  ”  or  heat  “  con¬ 
sumed  him.”  Gen.  xxxi.  40.  Any  one  who  travels  through 
the  Holy  Land  will  be  reminded  of  these  passages.  It  was 
early  spring  when  we  were  there,  and  yet  the  sun  was  so  hot 


IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


195 


that  I  used  to  ride  on  horseback  all  day  long  with  an  umbrella, 
to  protect  my  bald  head  from  its  great  heat.  Iu  midsummer 
this  heat  must  be  terrible.  And  it  seems  as  if  God  had  put 
the  Lebanon  mountains,  with  their  great  piles  of  snow,  at 
the  upper  end  of  the  country  to  be  a  kind  of  refrigerator 
to  the  whole  land.  As  the  winds  of  summer  blow  over 
those  snowy  mountain  tops,  and  then  come  sweeping  down 
over  the  land,  they  are  the  greatest  comfort  to  the  inhabi¬ 
tants.  They  fan  them,  and  cool  them,  and  do  them  more 
good  than  we  can  tell.  When  we  think  of  the  blessed  influ¬ 
ence  which  the  Lebanon  mountains  have  on  the  air  of  Pales¬ 
tine,  in  giviug  it  coolness  in  summer,  we  see  how  wonderful 
God’s  goodness  is,  and  how  much  He  does  to  make  Plis  people 
comfortable. 

Lebanon  is  also  useful  to  this  land  in  supplying  it  with 
water,  as  well  as  in  cooling  the  air.  The  prophet  Jeremiah 
speaks  of  “  the  mow  of  Lebanon,  and  its  cold  floxving  waters.'” 
Jer.  xviii.  14.  These  snows  are  melting  all  the  time,  and  run¬ 
ning  down  the  sides  of  the  mountains,  as  the  prophet  says,  “  in 
cold  flowing  waters.”  The  famous  river  Jordan  has  its  source 
in  the  springs  that  gush  out  from  Mount  Hermon,  and  this 
is  one  of  the  mountains  belonging  to  the  Lebanon  range. 
Nearly  all  the  other  rivers  and  streams  of  this  land  are  supplied 
by  the  waters  which  flow  down  from  Lebanon ;  and  the  foun¬ 
tains  and  springs  which  burst  forth  in  different,  parts  of  the 
land  are  no  doubt  all  fed  by  the  melting  snows  of  this  grand 
range  of  mountains.  Some  of  these  fountains  spring  out  from 
the  foot  of  great  rocks,  like  young  rivers  at.  the  very  start.  The 
fullness  and  force  of  the  water’ in  them  is  surprising.  The  heat 
of  summer  has  no  more  effect  upon  them  than  the  cold  of  win¬ 
ter.  They  flow  on  all  the  year  round,  with  a  steadiness  that  is 
remarkable.  And  we  cannot  account  for  such  fountains,  unless 
we  connect  them  with  a  source  of  supply  like  this  of  the  melt¬ 
ing  snows  of  Lebanon.  God  has  no  doubt  made  some  under¬ 
ground  connection  between  Lebanon  and  these  different  foun¬ 
tains  ?  But  who  can  tell  the  good  that  is  done  to  the  whole 


196 


ILLUSTRATED  RAMBLES 


land  by  these  rivers  and  fountains  ?  Tlie  fertility  and  beauty 
of  the  land  are  due  to  them.  Without  them,  Palestine,  instead 
of  being  as  it  once  was,  “  a  land  flowing  with  milk  and  honey,” 
would  always  have  been  a  desolate  wilderness.  And  so,  when 
we  think  of  the  influence  which  Lebanon  exerts  on  this  land  by 
cooling  the  air,  and  supplying  it  with  water,  we  see  how  useful 
this  mountain  is  to  the  whole  country.  But  there  is  another 
thing  which  makes  this  mountain  interesting  to  us,  and  that  is, 
the  Scripture  references  to  Lebanon.  Hardly  any  part  of  the 
Holy  Land  is  more  frequently  referred  to  in  the  Bible  than 
this.  There  are  more  than  fifty  places  in  the  Old  Testament 
in  which  Lebanon  is  spoken  of.  We  have  not  time  to 
examine  all  these  passages.  In  some  of  them,  Lebanon  is 
used  as  a  figure  to  teach  us  the  usefulness  of  Christians;  and. 
in  others  to  show  us  the  glory  of  Christ.  It  will  be  profitable 
to  us  if  we  look  at  one  or  two  passages  in  which  Lebanon  is 
referred  to,  in  order  to  show  us  how  useful  we  may  be  if  we  are 
Christians. 

In  Ps.  xcii.  1 2,  David  says,  “  The  righteous  shall  flourish  like 
a  palm  tree  ;  he  shall  grow  like  a  cedar  of  Lebanon.”  The  cedar 
of  Lebanon  grows  in  a  shape  that  is  very  beautiful.  And  beau¬ 
tiful  things  are  useful,  because  it  does  us  good  to  look  at  them. 
When  we  are  trying  to  love  and  serve  God,  then  we  are 
growing  beautiful  in  Plis  sight  like  the  cedars  of  Lebanon,  and 
we  shall  be  useful  by  our  example,  in  persuading  others  to  serve 
Him  too. 

The  prophet  Hosea,  chap.  xiv.  5,  in  speaking  of  one  who  is 
serving  God,  says,  “  He  shall  grow  as  the  lily,  and  cast  forth  his 
roots  as  Lebanon.”  This  refers  to  one  of  the  cedars  of  Lebanon. 
I  suppose  the  meaning  of  this  is,  that  by  sending  its  roots  down 
into  the  earth,  the  cedar  is  able  to  grow  straight  and  tall,  and 
to  have  so  much  strength,  that  the  storms  which  sweep  over  the 
mountains  cannot  blow  it  down  or  do  it  any  harm.  And  this 
is  the  way  in  which  we  should  grow  as  Christians.  To  do 
this,  we  must  have  faith  in  all  that  God  teaches  us  in  the  Bible. 
This  faith  will  be  to  us  like  the  roots  to  the  cedar  tree.  And 


IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


197 


this  is  what  the  apostle  means  when  he  speaks  of  Christians  as 
“being  strong  in  faith,  and  giving  glory  to  God.”  Let  us  pray 
that  God  may  “  increase  our  faith,”  and  then  we  shall  “  grow  as 
the  cedar  of  Lebanon.” 

Let  us  now  look  at  one  or  twxo  passages  in  which  Lebanon  is 
referred  to,  in  order  to  show  us  the  glory  of  Christ.  In  one 
place  He  is  compared  to  “the  tower  of  Lebanon ,”  Canticles  vii.  4; 
and  in  several  places  it  is  said  that  “  the  glory  of  Lebanon  shall 
be  given  unto  him.”  Is.  xxxv.  2  ;  lx.  13.  One  thing  that  gives 
its  glory  to  Lebanon,  is  the  great  beauty  and  grandeur  which 
belong  to  it.  Jesus  is  like  Lebanon  in  this  respect,  because 
there  is  no  beauty  or  grandeur  like  His.  He  is  “  the  chief 
among  ten  thousand,  and  altogether  lovely.” 

Another  thing  that  gives  Lebanon  so  much  glory  is  its 
great  usefulness.  We  have  seen  what  a  comfort  it  is  to  the 
people  of  that  land,  in  the  cool  air  and  the  refreshing  waters 
which  it  furnishes.  Jesus  is  to  His  people  everywhere,  in 
this  respect,  what  Lebanon  is  to  the  inhabitants  of  Palestine. 
All  their  comforts  and  blessings  come  from  Him.  It  was  to 
Him  that  David  was  looking  up  when  he  said,  “All  my  springs 
are  in  thee.”  And  Paul  was  doing  the  same  when  he  said,  “  My 
God  shall  supply  all  your  need  from  the  riches  of  his  grace  in 
Christ  Jesus.” 

From  the  Base  of  Lebanon  to  Beirut. — We  spent  two 
nights  on  the  road  in  accomplishing  this  part  of  our  journey. 
I  will  only  refer  to  the  last  of  these.  I  find  it  thus  spoken  of  in 
my  journal : — 

“  Thursday  Evening,  April  1 4th. — We  have  pitched  our  tents 
to-night  for  the  last  time  during  the  present  journey.  Our 
encampment  is  in  a  sheltered  dell,  far  enough  up  the  side  of  the 
mountain  to  be  within  reach  of  the  snow  again.  It  is  a  wild, 
romantic  spot ;  several  mountain  torrents  are  rushing  by  within 
a  few  feet  of  our  tent,  so  that  we  shall  go  to  sleep  to-night  lulled 
by  the  pleasant  sound  of  the  music  which  their  waters  make. 
There  is  every  appearance  of  rain  before  morning,  which  would 
be  by  no  means  an  agreeable  accompaniment  to  our  last  day’s 


198 


ILLUSTRATED  RAMBLES 


ride.  The  mountain  blasts  are  sweeping  rudely  past  us,  and 
shaking  our  tent  in  a  style  that  reminds  us  continually  of  our 
midnight  mishap  last  week  at  Barada.” 

The  thought  that  this  was  to  be  our  last  night  in  camp  was 
by  no  means  an  unpleasant  one ;  for  though  we  had  experienced 
great  enjoyment  in  this  trip,  yet  the  fatigues  and  exposures  and 
manifold  inconveniences  of  tent-life  make  the  prospect  of  re¬ 
turning  to  a  more  comfortable  mode  of  living  a  very  welcome 
one.  We  expect  to  reach  Beirut  to-morrow,  and  take  leave  of 
our  dragoman  and  his  company. 

The  Last  Day’s  Bide.— This  was  perfectly  charming ;  the 
morning  was  cool,  cloudy  and  pleasant— the  very  thing  for 
horseback  exercise.  It  was  such  a  day  as  I  should  have  se¬ 
lected  if  I  had  had  my  choice.  I  was  able  to  ride  all  day 
without  the  inconvenience  of  holding  an  umbrella  on  the  one 
hand,  or  the  fear  of  a  sun-stroke  on  the  other.  The  first  part 
of  it  was  along  the  base  of  the  Lebanon  range,  and  in  view  of 
the  beautiful  plain  of  which  I  have  before  spoken  as  lying 
spread  out,  a  vast  expanse  of  fertile  loveliness,  between  the 
Lebanon  and  Anti-Lebanon  mountains.  Great  Ilermon — all 
robed  in  snow — has  beeu  in  sight  all  day  on  one  side  of  us,  and 
Jebel  Sunnim,  one  of  the  highest  peaks  of  Lebanon,  on  the 
other.  Early  in  the  afternoon,  at  a  place  called  Islrtorah,  we 
struck  the  fine  turnpike  road  that  runs  from  Damascus  to 
Beirut.  This  is  a  splendid  macadamized  road,  solid  as  a  rock 
and  smooth  as  a  garden-walk.  It  was  built  by  a  French  com¬ 
pany,  which  runs  a  diligence  daily  from  each  end  of  the  line. 
It  was  pleasant  to  look  upon  a  good,  broad,  smooth  road  again, 
after  travelling  so  long  over  rough,  rocky  bridle-paths.  With 
the  exception  of  the  road  from  Jaffa  to  Jerusalem,  and  this 
from  Damascus  to  Beirut,  Palestine,  in  all  its  length  and 
breadth,  has  not  a  single  road  that  deserves  the  name,  or  along 
which  a  wheeled  conveyance  of  any  kind  could  be  driven.  It 
was  quite  refreshing,  also,  to  see  wagons,  or  anything  that  goes 
on  wheels,  after  so  long  an  acquaintance  with  mules,  donkeys 
and  camels  as  the  only  means  of  transportation.  The  road  of 


IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


199 


which  I  am  now  speaking  winds  along  by  zigzags  till  it  climbs 
over  the  summit  of  Lebanon. 

The  scenery  was  the  most  charming  of  any  we  have  seen  in 
all  Syria.  I  could  not  help  feeling  all  day  that  “  the  good  wine 
was  kept  till  now.”  We  passed  a  succession  of  gorges  of  the 
wildest  possible  character.  I  was  continually  reminded  of  one 
part  or  another  of  the  descriptions  I  had  quoted  in  my  sermon 
on  Lebanon,  referred  to  in  the  last  chapter  as  having  been  read 
in  the  temple  of  Jupiter,  at  Baalbek,  on  the  Sunday  we  spent 
there.  It  was  most  interesting  to  me  to  notice  how  thoroughly 
accurate  and  true  to  the  very  life  those  descriptions  were. 
Many  of  the  mountains  are  terraced  to  their  very  summits. 
The  grandeur,  the  beauty,  the  fertility,  and  the  endless  variety 
of  all  that  makes  up  the  picturesque  and  sublime  in  landscape 
scenery,  as  here  presented,  must  be  witnessed  to  be  understood. 
No  verbal  description  can  convey  any  adequate  idea  of  it.  It. 
is  impossible  to  overstate  the  simple  truth. 

This  ride  has  gone  far  to  remove  the  unfavorable  impression 
made  on  my  mind  by  our  disagreeable  experience  in  the 
attempt  to  reach  the  Cedars,  so  that,  after  all,  I  shall  carry 
away  with  me  a  most  delightful  recollection  of  the  charming 
nature  of  this  whole  Lebanon  range.  It  might  well  be  spoken 
of  as  “  that  goodly  mountain.”  This  was  part  of  the  land 
promised  to  Israel,  though  never  yet  possessed  by  them.  But 
in  the  glorious  future  that  yet  awaits  that  chosen  race  in  this 
wonderful  laud,  they  will  doubtless  occupy  it  to  the  uttermost. 
And  then  it  shows  what  this  whole  land  is  capable  of  becoming 
when  possessed  by  an  energetic  people,  under  a  good,  strong 
government,  and  especially  with  God’s  blessing  resting  upon  it 
instead  of  His  curse. 

This  last  day’s  experience,  taking  it  altogether,  formed  a 
beautiful  close  to  our  journey  of  almost  forty  days  through  this 
wonderful  land.  It  filled  my  heart  with  adoring  gratitude  to  our 
covenant  God,  who  had  so  graciously  watched  over  us  in  all  the 
way  we  had  gone,  and  had  now  crowned  that  journey  with  so 
distinguishing  a  mark  of  His  loving  kindness  and  tender  mercy. 


200 


ILL  USTRA  TED  RAMBLES 


We  reached  Beirut  about  the  middle  of  the  afternoon,  and 
secured  very  comfortable  quarters  in  the  Hotel  d’Orient.  Our 
chamber  windows  overlooked  the  sea  on  which  we  were  next  to 
journey.  The  next  day  we  settled  with  our  dragoman,  without 
a  word  of  disagreement.  This  was  very  satisfactory,  and  we 
gave  him  a  strong  recommendation. 

Thus  ended  our  “  Rumblings  in  the  Land  of  the  Bible.” 

I  will  finish  this  chapter  with  some  account  of  Beirut  and  of 
Old  Tyre. 

Beirut. — The  engraving  on  the  opposite  page  gives  a  good 
view  of  what  is  generally  the  last  place  visited  by  travellers  in 
the  Holy  Land.  I  say  generally  the  last,  though  sometimes  it 
is  the  first  place  at  which  they  stop — the  starting-point  of  their 
journey.  There  are  only  two  seaport  towns  now  in  that  part 
of  Palestine  that  borders  on  the  Mediterranean  Sea.  One  of 
these  is  Jaffa,  or  the  Joppa  of  the  Bible ;  this  is  in  the  southern 
part  of  the  country,  and  is  the  place  where  people  land  who 
intend  going  up  to  Jerusalem ;  the  other  is  Beirut,  the  place  to 
which  our  picture  refers. 

It  was  different  in  the  time  of  our  Saviour.  Then  there  were 
three  other  important  seaport  towns  besides  the  two  of  which 
we  have  just  spoken.  One  of  these  was  Caesarea,  which  is  often 
spoken  of  in  the  New  Testament ;  this  was  about  twenty  or 
thirty  miles  north  of  Jaffa  ;  the  other  two  were  Tyre  and  Sidon  ; 
these  were  further  north,  between  Mount  Carmel  and  Beirut. 
In  our  Saviour’s  time,  these  were  large  and  flourishing  cities^ 
but  now  they  are  only  ruins. 

If  persons  enter  the  Holy  Land  from  the  north,  then  they 
land  at  Beirut,  and,  after  finishing  their  travels,  leave  the 
country  by  taking  the  steamer  at  Jaffa.  But  if  they  land  at 
Jaffa,  as  we  did,  then  they  travel  up  through  the  country, 
making  Beirut  their  last  stopping-place,  and  taking  the  steamer 
here  for  Smyrna,  or  whatever  other  place  they  may  wish  to 
visit. 

The  Situation  of  Beirut.-f— This  town  is  most  beautifully  situ¬ 
ated  ;  it  lies  directly  on  the  shore  of  the  Mediterranean  Sea, 


Beirut.  P.  200. 


IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


201 


some  of  the  streets  reaching  down  to  the  edge  of  the  water,  and 
others  running  up  the  sloping  sides  of  the  hills  which  rise  up 
behind  the  towm.  If  you  look  at  the  picture,  to  the  right  of  the 
town  and  lying  behind  it,  you  see  a  long  range  of  high  moun¬ 
tains  ;  these  are  the  Lebanon  range.  There  is  no  more  beautiful 
scenery  anywhere  than  that  which  is  found  among  these  moun¬ 
tains.  The  company  of  people  seen  in  the  front  part  of  our 
picture,  on  camels  and  on  horseback,  are  coming  along  the  road 
which  leads  from  Damascus  to  Beirut ;  it  runs  across  the  Leba¬ 
non  mountains.  In  descending  these  mountains  towards  Beirut, 
the  views  around  are  uncommonly  beautiful.  You  can  look 
right  over  the  town,  seeing  the  deep  blue  waters  of  the  Medi¬ 
terranean  on  one  hand,  and  on  the  other  the  grand  mountains 
of  Lebanon,  with  their  summits  covered  with  snow. 

Its  Prosperous  State. — This  town  has  a  population  of  about 
sixty  thousand ;  about  twenty  thousand  of  these  are  Mahom- 
medaus,  and  the  rest  Christians  and  Jews.  Most  of  the  towns 
in  Palestine  have  an  old  appearance,  and  seem  to  be  going  to 
decay ;  but  it  is  not  so  with  Beirut.  This  place  is  growing 
rapidly,  and  many  of  the  buildings  are  new  and  handsome. 
The  harbor  is  sometimes  quite  crowded  with  vessels,  and  in  con¬ 
nection  with  these  a  great  deal  of  business  is  carried  on.  There 
are  many  large  warehouses  and  stores  here,  which  seem  to  be 
very  prosperous. 

As  Jaffa,  in  the  south,  is  the  seaport  town  of  Jerusalem,  so 
Beirut,  at  the  north,  is  the  seaport  town  of  Damascus.  This  city 
is  sixty  miles  distant ;  but  a  good  road  connects  the  two  places 
together,  and  a  “  diligence,”  as  it  is  called,  which  is  a  large 
stage,  runs  from  one  place  to  the  other  every  day. 

The  Missions  and  Schools  of  Beirut. — These  institutions 
interested  us  during  our  stay  at  this  place  more  than  any¬ 
thing  else.  For  many  years  now,  missionaries  both  from  our 
own  country  and  from  England  have  been  laboring  here  with 
great  success.  They  not  only  preach  the  gospel,  but  have 
established  schools  and  a  college,  in  which  large  numbers  of 
young  people  from  different  parts  of  the  country  are  receiving 


202 


ILLUSTRATED  RAMBLES 


a  Christian  education.  The  missionaries  have  a  printing-press 
here  also,  which  is  occupied  in  printing  not  only  school-books 
in  the  Arabian  language,  but  good,  religious  books,  which  are 
scattered  throughout  the  country,  and  doing  much  good.  They 
are  also  occupied  in  printing  the  best  of  all  books — the  Bible — 
for  the  use  of  the  people  in  the  Holy  Land. 

How  greatly  the  people  of  this  country  need  education,  we 
may  judge  from  a  story  told  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Jessup,  one  of  our 
American  missionaries  at  Beirut.  He  knew  a  native  doctor, 
who  begged  of  him  some  old  newspapers.  The  good  missionary 
was  greatly  surprised  vdien  he  found  out  what  use  the  learned 
doctor  had  made  of  these  papers.  He  cut  them  up  into  small 
pieces ;  these  he  soaked,  first  in  water  and  then  in  oil,  and  then 
gave  them  to  his  patients  as  medicine.  The  doctor  assured  the 
missionary  that  he  had  found  this  medicine  very  successful. 
In  other  instances,  native  physicians  have  been  known  to  be 
in  the  habit  of  writing  their  prescriptions  on  pieces  of  paper, 
and  then  requiring  the  sick  persons  to  lick  this  off!  I  have 
heard  of  persons  in  this  country  who  are  in  the  habit  of  saying 
that  “  they  always  took  their  physician’s  prescriptions,  but 
never  took  his  medicine.”  But  this  is  a  new  way  of  taking  a 
prescription. 

Old  Tyre. — This  is  one  of  the  famous  places  of  the  Holy 
Land.  Being  on  the  sea-coast,  it  was  out  of  our  way  as  wre 
passed  up  through  the  land.  We  reserved  it  for  the  last,  in¬ 
tending  to  make  an  excursion  to  it  from  Beirut.  But  this  was 
not  found  convenient,  and  so  we  were  obliged  to  content  our¬ 
selves  with  finding  out  what  others  have  said  of  it :  this  was  the 
best  we  could  do. 

The  engraving  on  the  opposite  page  gives  a  view  of  the  ruins 
of  this  interesting  old  city.  We  read  a  great  deal  in  the  Bible 
about  Tyre  ;  we  find  it  spoken  of  at  the  time  when  the  Israelites 
under  J oshua  conquered  the  land  of  Canaan :  and  even  at  that 
early  time  it  is  described  as  “  a  strong  city.”  Josh.  xix.  29. 

In  our  picture  we  see  a  company  of  travellers,  with  camels 
and  horses.  Here  are  Arabs,  with  their  long  spears,  and  the 


I 


Tyre 


IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


203 


loose,  flowing  robes  which  they  wear  to-day,  looking  just  as  they 
used  to  do  in  the  times  when  the  Bible  was  written.  On  the 
right-hand  side  of  the  picture  we  see  that  some  of  the  company 
have  spread  out  a  rug,  and  are  sitting  down  on  it  to  take  their 
lunch  at  noon,  as  we  used  to  do  in  our  journey  through  the 
land.  On  the  extreme  left  are  two  of  the  travellers,  who  are 
more  anxious  to  see  all  they  can  than  to  sit  down  and  take 
their  lunch ;  they  have  climbed  down  the  rocks,  just  over  the 
sea,  and  one  of  them  is  pointing  with  his  hand  across  the  water, 
to  the  ruins  on  the  other  side  of'  the  bay.  If  they  are  Bible 
students,  we  need  not  wonder  that  they  are  so  eager  to  look 
around  them  here,  for  everything  about  the  city  of  Tyre  is  full 
of  interest. 

But  let  us  look  a  little  at  the  history  of  this  famous  city. 
There  were  two  cities  by  the  name  of  Tyre :  one  of  them  was 
on  the  mainland,  and  was  called  “  Old  Tyre the  other  was 
built  on  a  small  island  about  half  a  mile  from  the  shore. 

Old  Tyre  was  a  rich  and  flourishing  city  in  the  days  of  Solo¬ 
mon  ;  it  was  a  seaport  town  with  a  fine  harbor ;  it  was  a  great 
place  for  ships ;  most  of  the  sailors  in  the  world  at  that  day 
belonged  to  Tyre :  for  this  reason  it  was  called  “  the  merchant 
city,” — “  the  crowning  city  whose  merchants  were  princes.” 
In  the  markets  of  Tyre  were  found  the  choicest  products  of 
every  country  in  the  world.  We  have  a  long  and  interesting 
account  of  these  in  the  27th  chapter  of  Ezekiel.  The  ships  of 
Tyre  sailed  to  every  port  in  the  Mediterranean  Sea ;  and  outside 
of  this  sea  there  was  very  little  sailing  done  in  those  days. 

But  while  Tyre  was  in  the  height  of  its  prosperity,  and  was 
one  of  the  richest  and  strongest  cities  in  the  world,  God  told 
His  servant  Ezekiel  to  write  a  wonderful  prophecy  about  it; 
we  find  this  prophecy  in  the  12th  and  21st  verses  of  the  26th 
chapter  of  Ezekiel ;  it  reads  thus  :  “  And  they  shall  break  down 
thy  walls,  and  destroy  thy  pleasant  houses :  and  they  shall  lay 
thy  stones  and  tliy  timber  and  thy  dust  in  the  midst  of  the  water. 
And  thou  shalt  be  no  more :  though  thou  be  sought  for,  yet 
shalt  thou  never  be  found  again,  saitli  the  Lord  God.” 


204 


ILLUSTRATED  RAMBLES 


There  are  two  things  to  notice  in  this  prophecy  which  are 
very  strange :  one  is  that  “  the  stones  and  timbers”  of  Old  Tyre 
should  be  cast  into  the  sea ;  the  other  is  that  all  trace  of  the  old 
city  should  be  so  taken  away  that  it  would  be  impossible  to  tell 
where  it  had  once  stood.  Let  us  see  how  these  things  were 
brought  to  pass. 

Nebuchadnezzar,  king  of  Babylon,  came  with  a  great  army 
and  besieged  Old  Tyre ;  the  siege  lasted  for  fourteen  years. 
When  the  people  in  the  city  found  that  it  was  likely  to  be 
taken,  they  made  use  of  their  ships  to  go  over  to  the  island, 
half  a  mile  from  the  shore ;  they  built  a  new  city  there ;  they 
carried  all  their  property  and  everything  of  any  value  from  the 
old  city,  and  left  it  empty.  When  Nebuchadnezzar  took  the 
city,  he  found  it  stripped  of  all  that  was  valuable ;  he  was 
like  a  boy  climbing  up  a  tree  to  get  a  bird’s  nest :  he  gets  it 
at  last,  but  finds  neither  eggs  nor  birds  in  it.  This  made  him 
very  angry.  So  he  “  broke  down  the  walls  and  destroyed  the 
pleasant  houses”  of  the  city,  as  the  prophet  had  said,  and  left 
the  old  city  all  in  ruins. 

But  the  island  city,  or  New  Tyre,  became  richer  and  stronger 
than  the  old  city  had  been.  The  island  was  only  about  a 
mile  in  length.  The  city  covered  it  all  over ;  its  strong  walls 
were  built  on  solid  rocks  that  rose  out  of  the  sea.  But  its 
greatest  strength  was  in  the  fact  of  its  being  an  island,  with 
half  a  mile  of  sea  flowing  between  it  and  the  mainland ;  this 
made  it  impossible  for  an  army  to  reach  it.  In  this  way  the 
prophecy  of  Ezekiel  began  to  be  fulfilled. 

A  good  many  years  after  this,  another  great  conqueror  came 
and  finished  all  the  rest  of  Ezekiel’s  prophecy  about  Tyre.  This 
wTas  Alexander  the  Great.  When  he  set  out  to  conquer  the 
world,  he  marched  through  Palestine ;  he  came  to  the  ruins  of 
Old  Tyre,  and  resolved  to  conquer  the  island  city  of  New  Tyre. 
But  he  had  no  ships  in  which  to  reach  it.  So  he  set  his  army 
to  work  to  build  a  road  or  causeway  out  into  the  sea,  in  order 
to  reach  the  island  on  which  Tyre  stood.  In  making  this 
causeway  he  employed  the  ruins  of  Old  Tyre.  These  were  all 


IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


205 


carried  away  and  thrown  into  the  sea.  And  so  the  words  of  the 
prophet  were  exactly  fulfilled,  in  which  he  said  of  Tyre,  “  thy 
stones  and  thy  timber  shall  be  laid  in  the  midst  of  the  water.” 
This  was  done  so  completely  that  none  of  the  ruins  of  the  old 
city  were  left.  And  now,  for  hundreds  of  years,  it  is  true  of 
Tyre  as  the  prophet  said,  “  thou  slialt  be  no  more :  though 
thou  be  sought  for,  yet  slialt  thou  never  he  found  again.” 

Alexander  took  the  city,  but  did  not  destroy  it ;  for  hundreds 
of  years  afterwards  it  remained  a  flourishing  city.  But  there 
wras  another  prophecy  about  this  Xew  Tyre,  which  has  been 
fulfilled  also.  When  this  island  city  was  in  the  height  of  its 
prosperity,  full  of  wealth  and  of  people,  God  said  he  would 
make  it  “  like  the  top  of  a  rock;  a  place  to  spread  nets  upon.” 
Ezek.  xxvi.  14.  This  prophecy  has  been  fulfilled  as  exactly  as 
the  other ;  for  long  years  past  the  island  Tyre  has  been  nothing 
but  a  miserable  fishing  village.  Where  its  proud  palaces  once 
stood,  it  is  now  desolate  and  bare,  “  like  the  top  of  a  rock” 
Every  one  who  goes  to  see  it  is  reminded  of  these  prophecies ; 
and  as  he  sees  the  fisherman  come  home  from  fishing  and 
spread  out  his  nets  upon  the  rocks,  he  can’t  help  saying  to 
himself,  “  What  a  wonderful  book  the  Bible  is !  and  how 
certain  it  is  that  every  word  spoken  in  it  will  surely  come  to 
pass !” 

And  this  winds  up  all  I  have  to  say  about  what  is  strictly 
“the  land  of  the  Bible.”  But  as  our  journey,  after  leaving 
Beirut,  still  lay  for  some  time  among  places  that  are  intimately 
connected  with  the  history  of  the  Xew  Testament,  especially 
with  the  missionary  labors  of  Paul,  the  great  “  apostle  of  the 
Gentiles,”  we  may  continue  our  “Rambles”  a  little  longer,  and 
still  find  ourselves  in  “  Bible  lands.” 


206 


ILLUSTRATED  RAMBLES 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

FROM  BEIRUT  TO  SMYRNA  —  TRIPOLI  —  LAODICEA —  ANTIOCH  — 
ALEXANDRETTA  —  MERSINE  —  TARSUS  —  CYPRUS  —  RHODES  — 
PATHOS. 

We  left  Beirut  on  board  one  of  the  French  steamers  which 
are  now  found  plying  all  over  the  Mediterranean.  These  are 
splendid  vessels,  ably  manned,  and  furnished  with  every  atten¬ 
tion  to  the  comfort  as  well  as  the  safety  of  passengers.  W e  were 
bound  for  Smyrna,  but  not  by  a  direct  route.  Our  vessel  was 
on  a  trading  voyage  all  round  the  eastern  end  of  the  Mediter¬ 
ranean,  stopping  at  the  different  towns  along  the  coast  to  take 
in  or  put  out  cargo.  This  would  be  a  tedious  mode  of  travel 
for  persons  with  whom  “  time  was  money  but  for  a  company 
of  tourists  like  ourselves,  whose  great  object  was  to  go  as  far  and 
see  as  much  as  we  could,  where  we  had  never  been  before,  and 
were  not  likely  to  go  again,  it  was  just  the  thing  to  be  desired. 

As  the  steamer  on  which  we  embarked  was  the  first  arrival 
from  Jaffa,  after  the  conclusion  of  the  Easter  festival  at  Jerusa¬ 
lem,  we  feared  that  it  would  be  very  much  crowded,  owing  to 
the  rush  of  retu  rning  pilgrims.  This  was  to  have  been  expected  ; 
but,  to  our  great  relief,  we  found  but  few  passengers  on  board. 
This  was  accounted  for  by  the  fact  that  when  the  steamer 
arrived  at  Jaffa,  it  was  too  rough  for  her  to  anchor.  Jaffa 
is  destitute  of  any  harbor.  There  is  nothing  there  but  an  open 
roadstead  for  vessels  to  anchor  in.  In  smooth  weather  this  an¬ 
swers  very  well.  But  when  there  is  a  heavy  swell  on,  or  when 
the  weather  is  rough,  the  anchorage  is  not  safe.  This  happened 
to  be  the  case  when  our  steamer  arrived  off  the  town  of  Jaffa, 
and  so  she  was  obliged  to  keep  on  her  course  without  stopping. 
This  was  a  great  disappointment  to  the  crowds  of  pilgrims 
eager  to  embark  there,  and  who  would  be  obliged  to  wait  for 
ten  days  till  the  next  steamer  came  along.  But  it  secured 
to  us  much  better  accommodations  for  our  voyage  than  we 
should  otherwise  have  had. 


IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


207 


A  Pl  easant  Sail. — Nothing  can  exceed  the  beauty  of  the 
scenery  that  meets  the  eye  of  the  traveller  as  he  sails  along  the 
coast  of  the  northern  part  of  Syria.  We  were  favored  with 
charming  weather.  A  bright  sun  and  a  clear  blue  sky  gave 
added  interest  to  the  landscape.  We  were  sailing  along,  with 
Lebanon’s  magnificent  range  of  mountains  in  full  view.  In 
some  places  the  mountains  seem  to  rise  sheer  out  from  the  sea. 
Again  they  are  seen  lying  off  in  grand  majestic  slopes,  rising 
one  above  another,  till  their  snow-capped  summits  are  lost  from 
view  in  the  great  masses  of  beautiful  white  clouds  that  mantle 
and  rest  upon  them. 

Tripoli. — This  was  our  first  stopping-place.  After  our  first 
night  on  shipboard,  we  found  our  steamer  anchored  here,  on 
rising  the  next  morning.  This  is  not  the  Tripoli  of  Northern 
Africa,  but  a  town  of  the  same  name,  though  of  lesser  note,  in 
northern  Syria.  This  is  an  ancient  town,  which  took  its  name 
of  “  the  triple  city  ”  from  three  settlements  made  by  different 
colonies,  and  out  of  which  the  city  took  its  rise.  It  has  a  popu¬ 
lation  of  some  13,000  people.  The  appearance  of  the  town  is 
very  picturesque.  Orchards  of  orange,  lemon,  apricot,  and 
apple  trees  encompass  it.  Near  the  town  is  an  old  castle,  that 
dates  back  to  the  12th  century,  and  was  built  by  Count  Ray¬ 
mond  of  Toulouse,  during  the  time  of  the  Crusades. 

Our  steamer  lay  at  anchor  here  all  day,  transacting  about  as 
much  business  as  we,  in  this  western  world,  would  have  gotten 
through  with  in  an  hour.  Tripoli  has  but  little  commerce,  as 
Beirut  is  rapidly  absorbing  all  the  trade  of  the  coast.  A  few 
bales  of  silk  and  some  boxes  of  sponges  make  up  its  chief  ar¬ 
ticles  of  export. 

This  is  a  favorite  point  from  which  to  start  on  excursions  to 
the  cedars.  They  can  be  reached  in  about  a  ten  hours’  toilsome 
ride  from  this  place.  The  ascent  is  said  to  be  very  exciting. 
The  road  winds  through  sublime  glens,  zigzags  up  rocky 
acclivities,  and  passes  over  stone-strewn  terraces.  Villages  are 
seen  perched  upon  the  mountain  side,  where  one  would  think 
that  the  foot  of  man  could  scarcely  find  a  resting-place.  Ter- 


208 


ILLUSTRATED  RAMBLES 


races  run  up  the  acclivities,  and  each  step  has  its  row  of  mul¬ 
berries  or  vines. 

Laodicea. — This  was  our  next  stopping-place.  It  is  not  the 
city  spoken  of  in  the  Revelations,  to  which  one  of  the  seven 
epistles  was  addressed.  That  was  an  inland  city  in  Asia  Minor, 
and  this  is  a  seaport  town  of  northern  Syria.  It  is  now  called 
Ladikiyeh,  or  Latichea.  It  has  a  population  of  about  5000 
inhabitants ;  it  is  finely  situated  on  a  rocky  promontory  which 
projects  two  miles  into  the  sea,  and  has  an  elevation  of  from 
100  to  200  feet.  Its  chief  article  of  export  is  tobacco,  which  is 
said  to  be  of  a  particularly  fine  character ;  silk,  cotton,  oil,  and 
a  few  other  articles,  are  also  staple  commodities  of  this  place. 
A  Protestant  mission  has  been  established  here,  and  carried  on 
with  encouraging  success.  It  is  now  under  the  charge  of  the 
American  Beard. 

Antioch. — The  next  point  of  interest  in  this  journey  which 
we  passed,  but  without  stopping  at  it,  was  Antioch.  In 
speaking  about  this  city,  there  are  several  things  to  notice. 
One  of  these  is  the  situation  of  Antioch.  It  lies  on  the  banks 
of  the  river  Orontes.  It  is  about  thirty  miles  distant  from  the 
sea-coast,  and  about  three  hundred  miles  north  from  Jerusalem. 
The  range  of  the  Lebanon  mountains  come  to  an  end  near 
Antioch,  but  the  sight  of  them  in  the  distance  helps  to  make  the 
country  around  this  city  look  very  beautiful.  It  is  built  at  the 
foot  of  a  steep  and  craggy  mountain  called  Mount  Sulpius, 
which  rises  up  directly  behind  the  city.  There  used  to  be  a 
very  large  and  beautiful  grove  or  forest  near  Antioch,  in  which 
was  a  temple  for  the  worship  of  the  god  Apollo  and  the  god¬ 
dess  Diana.  This  grove  was  called  Daphne.  It  was  ten  miles 
in  circumference,  and  was  full  of  beautiful  fountains  and  streams 
of  clear,  cold  water,  which  made  it  a  very  pleasant  place  of 
resort  in  that  warm  climate.  The  remains  of  this  grove  may 
still  be  seen,  though  much  of  its  beauty  is  gone. 

The  history  of  Antioch  is  another  interesting  thing  connected 
with  it.  It  was  built  about  three  hundred  years  before  Christ. 
Few  cities  have  suffered  more  from  attacks  of  earthquakes  than 


Antioch. 


IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


209 


this.  Nine  or  ten  times  it  has  been  visited  by  this  terrible  ev.ik 
By  one  of  these  attacks,  in  the  sixth  century,  as  many  as  two 
hundred  thousand  of  the  inhabitants  were  destroyed  in  one  day. 
The  last  earthquake  that  visited  this  place  was  only  a  little 
more  than  a  year  ago.  It  killed  a  great  many  people,  and  de¬ 
stroyed  a  number  of  the  finest  buildings  in  the  city. 

At  one  time  there  were  as  many  as  a  hundred  thousand 
Christians  living  in  Antioch,  but  at  present  the  number  is  not 
over  one  thousand.  This  city  has  been  adorned  from  time  to 
time  with  very  large  and  splendid  buildings,  such  as  temples, 
palaces,  aqueducts,  amphitheatres,  and  baths.  We  see  in  our 
picture  the  remains  of  some  of  these  buildings.  These  are  in¬ 
teresting,  even  in  their  ruins.  As  we  look  upon  them,  they 
show  us  how  little  we  should  think  of  earthly  wealth  or  great¬ 
ness,  because  they  so  soon  pass  away.  And  they  suggest  to  us 
how  eager  we  should  be  to  secure  the  riches  that  Jesus  gives, 
because  these  are  “  durable  riches.”  Earthly  houses  and  palaces 
crumble  and  decay ;  but  the  home  that  Jesus  is  preparing  for 
us  is  “  a  building  of  God,  a  house  not  made  with  hands,  eternal 
in  the  heavens No  one  will  ever  look  upon  the  ruins  of  that 
house. 

But,  after  all,  Antioch's  connection  with  the  Bible  is  the  chief 
thing  for  which  we  feel  an  interest  in  it-  Next  to  Jerusalem, 
there  is  no  city  more  frequently  mentioned  in  connection  with 
the  early  history  of  the  Church  than  this.  One  of  the  seven 
deacons  appointed  to  distribute  the  alms  of  the  church  at 
Jerusalem,  was  “  Nicolas,  a  proselyte  of  Antioch.”  Acts  vi.  5. 
The  Christians  who  were  scattered  from  Jerusalem,  by  the  per¬ 
secutions  that  arose  on  the  death  of  Stephen,  came  to  Antioch 
and  preached  the  gospel.  Acts  xi.  19.  Agabus  and  the  other 
prophets,  when  they  foretold  the  famine  that  was  approaching, 
left  Jerusalem  and  came  to  Antioch.  Acts  xi.  27.  When 
Paul  and  Barnabas  were  sent  from  Jerusalem  on  a  mission  of 
charity  to  the  churches,  the  first  place  to  which  they  came  was 
Antioch.  Acts  xii.  25.  It  was  at  Antioch  that  Paul  rebuked 
Peter  for  the  want  of  manly  decision.  The  Pope  of  Rome 
14 


210 


ILLUSTRATED  RAMBLES 


professes  to  be  the  successor  of  Peter ;  and  he  claims  to  be 
infallible,  or  never  to  make  a  mistake.  If  this  is  so,  then  he 
has  got  far  ahead  of  Peter,  for  he  did  make  a  mistake,  and 
Paul  reproved  him  for  it,  in  this  same  city  of  Antioch,  as  we 
read  in  Gal.  ii.  11,  12.  Antioch  was  the  place  where  the 
apostle  Paul  began  his  early  labors  among  the  Gentiles ;  and 
it  was  from  here  that  he  went  forth  on  his  missionary  journeys, 
in  which  he  carried  the  gospel  of  Jesus  all  through  the  Roman 
world. 

And  then  there  is  another  tiling  which  makes  this  place 
especially  interesting  to  us.  We  read  in  Acts  xi.  26,  “And  the 
disciples  were  called  Christians  first  at  Antioch.”  We  are  not 
told  how  this  name  came  to  be  applied  to  the  followers  of  Jesus. 
We  do  not  know  whether  they  made  choice  of  it  themselves,  or 
whether  it  was  given  to  them  by  their  enemies.  And  it  does 
not  matter  how  it  was.  To  be  a  Christian,  means  to  be  like 
Jesus ;  and  if  we  only  are  what  this  name  represents,  if  we  are 
true  Christians,  then  there  is  no  greater  honor  than  to  bear  this 
name.  It  has  been  well  said,  “  This  is  an  honored  name— the 
most  honorable  that  can  be  applied  to  a  mortal.  It  is  the 
distinguishing  name  of  all  the  redeemed.  This  binds  them  all 
together — a  name  which  rises  above  every  other  name ;  which 
unites  in  one  the  inhabitants  of  distant  nations  and  tribes  of 
men ;  which  connects  the  extremes  of  society,  placing  them  in 
most  important  respects  on  a  common  level,  for  who  lives 
according  to  this  name  is  the  most  favored  of  mortals.  For 
this  is  a  name  which  will  be  had  in  remembrance  when  the 
names  of  royalty  shall  be  forgotten,  and  when  the  distinctions 
of  nobility  shall  cease  to  amuse  or  dazzle  the  world.”  May 
God  give  us  all  grace  to  live  as  becometh  those  who  bear  the 
name  first  given  to  the  disciples  at  Antioch — the  honored  name 
of  Christian ! 

Alexandretta. — About  four  o’clock  in  the  afternoon  we 
came  to  anchor  off  this  city,  which  must  not  be  confounded 
with  Alexandria  in  Egypt.  It  is  beautifully  situated  at  the 
head  of  a  bay  which  forms  the  extreme  eastern  portion  of  the 


I 


Tarsus.  P.211 


IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


211 


Mediterranean  Sea;  it  is  the  outlet  to  Aleppo,  Bagdad  and 
other  interior  towns,  whose  merchandise  is  conveyed  across  the 
desert  on  camels  and  over  the  mountains  on  mules  and  donkeys, 
and  brought  here  to  be  shipped  for  Europe.  Our  steamer  lay 
at  anchor  here  all  the  next  day,  taking  in  freight.  It  rained 
through  the  morning,  which  interfered  with  this  work,  as  well 
as  spoiled  some  plans  formed  by  the  officers  of  the  vessel  and 
sundry  of  the  passengers  to  go  ashore  and  have  a  hunt  among 
the  wild  mountains  that  surround  this  bay. 

Mersine. — We  left  Alexandretta  about  eight  o’clock  that 
night,  and  came  to  anchor  at  five  the  next  morning  off  a  place 
called  Mersine.  Here  we  spent  the  Sabbath,  with  quiet  exer¬ 
cises  in  our  state-room.  This  is  a  little  town  at  the  extreme 
eastern  part  of  Asia  Minor,  not  to  be  confounded  with  Messina 
on  the  island  of  Sicily.  The  country  around  it  has  been  the 
scene  of  many  great  and  sanguinary  conflicts.  Persians,  Greeks 
and  Bomans  have  all  in  turn  marched  and  fought  over  it.  In 
the  neighborhood  of  this  town  is  the  river  from  bathing  in 
which  Alexander  met  his  death.  At  about  an  hour’s  ride  there 
is,  an  extensive  ruin,  connected  with  the  name  of  the  great 
Pompey ;  some  of  the  passengers  went  to  visit  it ;  we  should 
have  joined  them  had  it  not  been  Sunday. 

But  much  more  interesting  to  us  was  the  fact  that  but  a  few 
miles  distant  from  this  little  town  are  the  remains  of  that 
“  no  mean  city”  where  the  great  apostle  of  the  Gentiles  had 
his  birth,  and  of  which  he  was  a  citizen.  It  was  more  than 
“a  Sabbath  day’s  journey,”  and  not  exactly  the  occupation 
for  the  day.  But  if  we  could  have  controlled  the  time  and 
movements  of  our  steamer  for  the  following  day,  we  should 
certainly  have  tarried  long  enough  there  to  have  made  a  pil¬ 
grimage  to  the  place  where  that  wonderful  man  was  born  and 
brought  up. 

Tarsus. — The  engraving  on  the  opposite  page  gives  a  good 
view  of  Tarsus  as  it  now  appears.  It  is  an  interesting  place, 
not  only  on  account  of  the  beauty  of  its  situation,  but  also  on 
account  of  its  connection  with  a  great  general  and  a  great 


212 


ILL  USTRA  TED  RA  MBLES 


apostle.  This  general  was  Alexander  the  Great,  who  conquered 
the  world ;  and  this  apostle  was  Paul,  the  greatest  preacher  of 
the  gospel  that  ever  lived.  We  have  something  to  say  about 
each  of  these  three  things  in  connection  with  this  city ;  we  may 
begin  by  speaking  of 

The  Situation  of  Tarsus. — It  is  in  the  province  of  Cilicia,  in 
the  eastern  part  of  Asia  Minor.  If  you  can  get  a  Bible  atlas, 
and  turn  to  the  map  of  the  journeys  of  the  apostle  Paul,  you 
can  easily  find  this  city ;  it  is  situated  on  a  level  plain,  about 
seven  miles  from  the  sea.  This  plain  is  bounded  on  one  side 
by  the  sea,  and  on  the  other  by  a  range  of  high  mountains, 
which  you  see  on  the  back  part  of  the  picture ;  they  are 
called  the  Taurus  Mountains.  When  we  sailed  along  the 
coast  of  Asia  Minor,  the  tops  of  these  mountains  were  covered 
with  snow ;  this  made  them  look  very  beautiful.  There  is  a 
river  that  formerly  ran  through  the  city  of  Tarsus,  but  now 
flows  by  about  half  a  mile  from  it ;  it  is  called  the  Cydnus,  and 
is  fed  by  the  melting  snowTs  from  the  mountains  that  lie  back 
of  the  city. 

Before  the  time  of  our  Saviour,  Tarsus  was  a  large  and  beau¬ 
tiful  city.  The  inhabitants  were  very  wealthy,  and  the  city  was 
celebrated  for  its  many  schools,  and  for  the  great  learning  of  its 
teachers.  But  these  have  long  since  passed  away.  The  present 
number  of  the  inhabitants  is  about  thirty  thousand  ;  these  are 
mostly  poor.  The  buildings  are  generally  of  only  one  story, 
with  flat,  terraced  roofs. 

Let  us  now  notice  the  next  thing  that  interests  us  in  the 
city  of  Tarsus.  This  is  its  connection  with  Alexander  the  Great. 
This  famous  general  gained  a  great  victory  in  the  neighborhood 
of  Tarsus.  Here  he  met  the  Persian  army  commanded  by 
King  Darius.  Alexander  had  but  thirty  thousand  men,  while 
the  Persians  had  many  times  that  number.  Yet,  after  a  hard- 
fought  battle,  Darius  fled  from  the  field,  and  his  army  was 
scattered  and  defeated.  His  mother,  his  wife,  his  two  daughters 
and  his  infant  son  were  taken  prisoners,  but  were  treated  with 
the  greatest  kindness  by  Alexander.  On  another  occasion,  this 


IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


213 


great  man  came  very  near  losing  his  life  in  Tarsus.  One  day, 
when  he  was  fatigued  with  riding  and  was  in  a  great  heat,  he 
went  in  to  bathe  in  the  river  Cydnus.  The  water  of  the  river 
was  so  cold,  that  the  shock  which  it  gave  him  made  him  very 
sick ;  but  by  the  skill  and  care  of  his  favorite  physician  he  was 
brought  safely  through,  and  enabled  soon  to  take  his  place 
again  at  the  head  of  the  army.  J ulius  Caesar  spent  much  of  his 
time  here,  and  was  so  fond  of  the  place  that  he  called  it 
Juliopolis,  and  conferred  upon  it  the  freedom  of  a  Roman  city. 
This  was  the  privilege  of  which  Paul  twice  took  advantage 
when  he  was  threatened  with  scourging,  declaring  himself  free 
born. 

Our  chief  interest  in  Tarsus,  however,  grows  out  of  its 
connection  with  Paul,  the  great  apostle.  We  always  think  and 
speak  of  him  as  “  Paul  of  Tarsus.”  He  was  born  here,  and 
secured  his  education  first  in  those  schools  for  which  Tarsus 
Avas  so  celebrated,  and  afterwards  at  Jerusalem,  where  “  he  was 
brought  up  at  the  feet  of  Gamaliel.”  It  is  interesting  to  look 
at  our  picture,  and  think  that  when  Paul  was  a  boy  he  played 
on  the  plains  around  Tarsus,  and  often  climbed,  no  doubt,  up 
the  hills  that  lie  behind  it. 

When  he  became  a  Christian,  Paul  spent  five  years  at  Tarsus, 
preaching  the  gospel  to  the  people  of  his  native  city.  Great 
numbers  of  the  people  were  converted  by  his  labors  there.  The 
city  contains  a  small  church,  which  has  a  very  ancient  appear¬ 
ance,  and  is  said  to  have  been  founded  by  this  great  apostle. 
In  the  burying-ground  at  Tarsus  there  is  a  very  venerable- 
looking  tree,  which,  according  to  the  belief  of  the  inhabitants, 
was  planted  by  Paul’s  own  hand.  He  seems  to  have  been  very 
proud  of  his  uati\Te  city,  for  on  one  occasion  we  find  him  saying 
of  himself,  “  I  am  a  Jew  of  Tarsus,  a  city  in  Cilicia,  a  citizen 
of  no  mean  city.”  Acts  xxi.  39.  On  another  occasion  he  speaks 
of  himself  as  having  been  “free  horn”  This  means  that  his 
father  had  been  made  a  citizen  of  Rome,  and  thus  he,  by  birth, 
became  so  too.  This  Avas  considered  a  great  honor  in  those 
days.  And  it  was  a  great  privilege,  too,  to  be  a  Roman  citizen. 


214 


ILLUSTRATED  RAMBLES 


One  of  these  privileges  was,  that  such  a  citizen  could  not  be 
bound  or  scourged,  as  other  men  might  be,  when  they  were 
prisoners,  unless  really  found  guilty  of  very  wicked  conduct, 
and  then  they  lost  this  privilege.  We  find  Paul  taking  ad¬ 
vantage  of  this  privilege  on  several  occasions.  One  of  these  we 
read  of  in  Acts  xxii.  24-29.  Here  the  captain  of  the  Roman 
soldiers  at  Jerusalem  gave  orders  to  have  Paul  bound,  and 
scourged  with  rods.  But  when  he  said  he  was  a  Roman  citizen, 
they  stopped  this  at  once.  And  it  is  said,  “  the  chief  captain 
also  was  afraid,  after  he  knew  that  he  was  a  Roman,  because  he 
had  bound  him.” 

The  apostle  Paul  was  one  of  the  noblest  men  that  ever  be¬ 
longed  to  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ.  No  one  can  tell  how 
great  a  blessing  his  epistles  have  been  to  the  Church.  We  all 
have  cause  to  thank  God  for  having  raised  up  such  a  man. 
And  Tarsus  must  always  be  a  place  of  great  interest  to  us, 
because  Paul  was  born  there. 

Cyprus. — Passing  on  from  Mersine,  the  seaport  of  Tarsus, 
along  the  shores  of  Asia  Minor,  we  sailed  in  full  view  of  Cyprus, 
which  is  interesting  to  the  Christian  traveller  because  of  its  con¬ 
nection  with  Bible  history.  This  is  one  of  the  largest  islands  in 
the  Mediterranean  Sea,  and  next  to  Sicily  in  importance.  If 
you  look  at  the  map  of  this  sea,  you  will  find  the  island  of 
Cyprus  in  the  eastern  part  of  it.  If  you  draw  a  line  from  Tyre 
or  Sidon,  on  the  coast  of  Palestine,  and  run  it  out  in  a  north¬ 
westerly  direction,  it  will  strike  this  island  about  the  centre 
of  it. 

Its  Size  and  Appearance. — Cyprus  is  about  a  hundred  and 
forty  miles  long ;  in  the  narrowest  part  it  is  not  more  than  five 
miles  wide,  and  the  broadest  part  is  about  fifty  miles  in  width. 
It  has  a  range  of  mountains  running  through  the  island  in  the 
direction  of  its  length  ;  the  highest  point  in  this  range  used  to 
be  called  Olympus.  This  is  the  mountain  that  we  see  on  the 
right-hand  side  of  our  engraving ;  it  is  about  seven  thousand 
feet  high.  This  is  a  little  higher  than  our  Mount  Washington, 
among  the  White  Mountains  of  New  Hampshire. 


Island  of  Cyprus.  p  214. 


IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


215 


The  shores  of  the  island  are  generally  high  and  rocky.  It 
has  many  rocky  headlands,  which  stand  boldly  out  into  the  sea. 
On  this  account  it  used  to  be  called,  in  old  times,  “  the  horned 
island,”  because  some  of  these  points  were  thought  to  look  like 
horns. 

Its  Climate  and  Productions. — It  used  to  be  considered  a  very 
healthy  place,  but  it  is  not  so  now ;  and  it  is  easy  to  see  how 
this  change  has  taken  place.  The  rivers  and  streams  which 
flow  down  from  the  mountains  have  been  allowed  to  get  choked 
up.  This  has  turned  the  plains  along  their  banks  into  marshes, 
and  these  give  rise  to  fevers  and  other  diseases,  which  would 
soon  disappear  if  proper  care  was  taken  of  the  country.  The 
soil  of  this  island  is  very  fertile ;  it  used  to  be  so  famous  for  its 
fertility,  that  in  old  times  it  was  called  “  the  happy  land.” 
The  productions  of  the  island  are  many  and  valuable :  cotton, 
and  wine,  and  tobacco,  and  silk,  and  fruits  of  various  kinds  and 
of  the  finest  qualities,  are  produced  here ;  various  dye-woods 
and  drugs  are  also  grown  on  this  island.  Diamonds  and  other 
precious  stones,  with  valuable  metals,  especially  copper,  are 
found  here.  When  this  island  was  covered  with  forest  trees, 
ship-building  was  carried  on  to  a  great  extent ;  the  people  used 
to  boast  that  everthing  needed  in  building  and  furnishing  these 
ships  was  to  be  found  on  their  island. 

Its  Population  and  History. — In  former  times,  as  many  as  a 
million  of  people  lived  upon  this  island  ;  but  now,  owing  to  the 
want  of  a  good  government,  there  are  only  about  a  hundred 
thousand,  or  a  tenth  part  of  what  the  population  used  to  be. 
The  island  is  often  visited  by  swarms  of  locusts,  that  devour 
every  green  thing,  and  leave  the  land  like  a  desolate  wilderness. 
Before  the  Christian  religion  was  introduced  here,  the  people 
used  to  worship  Venus,  the  goddess  of  the  Greeks  and  Romans ; 
a  splendid  temple  to  her  honor  was  built  in  the  city  of  Paphos, 
in  the  western  part  of  the  island,  which  was  one  of  its  principal 
towns.  The  worship  of  Venus  was  long  in  existence  here,  and 
so  thoroughly  demoralizing  were  the  licentious  rites  connected 
with  this  worship,  that  even  down  to  this  day  the  term  Cyprian 


216 


ILLUSTRATED  RAMBLES 


applied  to  a  female  denotes  that  she  is  lost  to  all  sense  of  true 
modesty  or  virtue. 

Its  Connection  with  the  Bible. — The  Island  of  Cyprus  is  spoken 
of  several  times  in  the  New  Testament.  Salamis,  on  the  eastern 
coast  of  the  island,  and  Paphos,  on  the  western  part,  are  the 
principal  cities  of  this  island.  Barnabas,  “  the  son  of  consola¬ 
tion,”  and  Paul’s  companion  in  labor,  Avas  a  native  of  Cyprus ; 
and  when  he  and  Paul  were  first  sent  forth  from  Antioch  to 
carry  the  glad  tidings  of  salvation  to  the  Gentiles,  they  em¬ 
barked  at  Seleucia,  in  Syria,  for  Cyprus,  as  we  read  in  Acts 
xiii.  2-4:  “As  they  ministered  to  the  Lord,  and  fasted,  the 
Holy  Ghost  said,  Separate  me  Barnabas  and  Saul  for  the  work 
whereunto  I  have  called  them.  And  when  they  had  fasted  and 
prayed,  and  laid  their  hands  on  them,  they  sent  them  away. 
So  they,  being  'sent  forth  by  the  Holy  Ghost,  departed  unto 
Seleucia ;  and  from  thence  they  sailed  to  Cyprus.”  They 
landed  at  Salamis,  and  went  all  through  the  island  to  Paphos. 
Pleasant  to  Barnabas  it  must  have  been  to  come  back  to  his 
native  place,  and  proclaim  among  his  OAvn  people  the  wonders 
of  redeeming  love.  Barnabas  paid  a  second  visit  to  this  island, 
accompanied  by  Mark,  as  is  recorded  in  Acts  xv.  39.  Ac¬ 
cording  to  the  tradition  of  the  fathers,  he  finally  took  up  his 
residence  here,  and  at  last  finished  his  ministry  by  a  martyr’s 
death. 

In  Cyprus  also  dwelt  Sergius  Paulus,  the  deputy  who  was 
converted  by  the  preaching  of  Paul  and  Barnabas.  It  Avas 
here,  too,  that  “  Elymas  the  sorcerer”  sought  to  oppose  the 
apostles,  and  Avas  punished  with  blindness  by  Paul  for  his 
wickedness.  And  here,  also,  “  Mnason,  the  old  disciple ,”  who 
showed  hospitality  to  Paul  at  Jerusalem,  had  his  home.  Acts 
xxi.  16. 

When  Paul  started  on  his  last  journey  to  Rome,  Ave  read  that 
“  he  sailed  by  Cyprus Acts  xxvii.  4.  This  is  the  last  mention 
made  of  this  island  in  the  NeAV  Testament.  As  the  great 
apostle  passed  by  in  sight  of  the  rocky  coasts  and  the  high 
mountains  of  Cyprus,  he  must  have  been  reminded  of  many 


IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


217 


pleasant  seasons  that  he  and  Barnabas  had  enjoyed  together, 
when  they  were  telling  the  story  of  Jesus  and  His  love  to  the 
inhabitants  of  Cyprus.  As  we  continued  our  course  with 
favoring  breezes,  with  a  smooth  sea  and  a  bright  sky,  in  full 
view  of  the  island  of  Cyprus,  these  Bible  associations  with  it 
could  not  fail  of  imparting  great  interest  and  enjoyment  to  the 
feeling  with  which  we  gazed  upon  the  distant  outlines  of  its 
features,  while  ploughing  our  westward  way  through  the  dark 
waters  of  the  Mediterranean. 

From  Cyprus  to  Rhodes. — We  have  spoken  of  our  voyage 
from  Tarsus  to  Cyprus.  We  did  not  land  on  this  island,  but 
sailed  by  it  ou  the  west.  It  was  a  very  delightful  sail.  In¬ 
deed,  all  our  recollections  of  the  Mediterranean  are  of  the  very 
pleasantest  kind.  We  had  heard  so  much  of  the  stormy 
character  of  this  sea,  and  of  the  distressing  effect  of  its  storms 
on  those  inclined  to  sea-sickness,  that  we  dreaded  greatly  to 
trust  ourselves  to  its  waters.  But  never  did  experience  run 
more  directly  counter  to  expectation  than  in  our  own  case. 

Pleasant  Memories  of  the  Mediterranean. — We  were 
twenty-three  days  in  all  sailing  on  this  great  inland  sea.  Each 
of  those  days  has  its  own  particular  recollection ;  hut  they  are 
all  of  an  agreeable  character.  Our  first  sail  on  the  Mediterra¬ 
nean  was  from  Leghorn  to  Naples ;  this  was  mainly  by  night. 
It  was  moonlight ;  the  sea  was  smooth,  and  we  sat  up  on  deck 
all  night  to  enjoy  the  beauty  of  the  scene.  We  sailed  up  the 
Bay  of  Naples  between  three  and  four  o’clock  in  the  morning, 
and  had  our  first  view  of  Mount  Vesuvius  in  the  resplendent 
light  of  a  clear,  full  moon.  Such  was  our  introduction  to  the 
Mediterranean.  Of  course  we  may  say  of  that  night,  as  the 
Bible  says  of  another,  that  it  was  “  a  night  to  be  had  in  re¬ 
membrance.”  It  is  not  likely  soon  to  be  forgotten. 

Our  farewell  to  the  Mediterranean  was  quite  in  keeping 
with  our  introduction  to  it ;  it  was  a  sail  from  the  island  of 
Corfu — the  gem  of  ail  the  isles  of  Greece — to  Brindisi ;  and 
this  was  a  night’s  sail  too ;  yes,  and  a  moonlight  night  also. 
As  our  steamer  ploughed  her  majestic  way  through  the  placid 


218 


ILLUSTRATED  RAMBLES 


waters  of  the  Adriatic,  in  the  lofty  range  of  whose  classic  shores 
it  may  well  he  said  “  there  is  not  a  mountain  lifts  its  head 
unsung,”  we  felt  that  this  was  a  fitting  close  to  our  acquaintance 
with  the  great  sea  that  washes  the  shores  of  three  continents. 

The  day  we  spent  between  Cyprus  and  Rhodes  was  in 
harmony  with  the  nights  j  ust  spoken  of.  We  had  a  clear  sky,  a 
bright  sun,  and  a  fresh,  favoring  breeze,  that  enabled  us  to  use 
our  fore  and  aft  sails  as  well  as  our  engine ;  there  was  a 
sparkling  sea  around  us,  of  a  beautiful  deep  blue  color,  while 
the  Taurus  range  of  mountains  previously  mentioned  were  in 
full  view  all  day  on  our  right,  with  their  summits  wrapped 
in  snow, — a  magnificent  sight,  thus  combining  every  element 
that  could  be  desired  to  make  a  most  splendid  sail.  The 
vessel  was  steady  as  a  rock  all  day,  without  the  least  rolling 
or  pitching,  so  that  there  was  nothing  to  interfere  with  the 
enjoyment  of  those  who  find  such  motion  a  source  of  trouble. 
I  enjoyed  it  vastly ;  it  was  a  real  delight  to  pace  the  quarter 
deck  beneath  the  outspread  awning,  or  to  sit  and  read  fanned 
by  the  cooling  breeze,  and  drinking  in  the  inspiration  of  the 
surrounding  loveliness. 

The  Island  of  Rhodes. — After  losing  sight  of  Cyprus,  we 
continued  our  voyage ;  the  next  morning  our  vessel  was  lying 
at  anchor  off  this  celebrated  island.  The  Mediterranean  Sea  is 
famous  for  its  many  islands,  and  prominent  among  them  is  the 
island  of  Rhodes.  We  went  ashore  here ;  and  as  our  boat 
approached  the  land,  the  island,  the  harbor  and  the  city  of 
Rhodes  presented  a  very  fine  picture.  On  landing,  we  were 
very  much  interested  in  walking  about  the  curious  old  town. 
In  speaking  about  this  island,  the  chief  things  for  us  to  notice 
are,  the  geography  of  the  island,  its  history,  and  its  great  statue. 

The  Geography  of  Rhodes. — It  is  not  a  very  lai'ge  island,  and 
is  somewhat  triangular  in  shape;  it  is  about  forty-five  miles 
in  length,  and  from  twenty  to  twenty-five  in  width.  A  range 
of  mountains  runs  through  the  island  in  the  direction  of  its 
greatest  length  ;  the  highest  point  in  this  range  is  between  four 
and  five  thousand  feet  high.  We  can  see  this  mountain  in  our 


IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


219 


engraving.  These  mountains  were  formerly  covered  with  pine 
forests,  the  timber  from  which  was  used  for  ship-building, 
and  brought  great  wealth  to  the  inhabitants  of  the  island. 
Parts  of  these  forests  still  remain,  and  are  yet  employed  for  the 
same  purpose. 

There  are  about  forty  villages  scattered  over  the  island,  the 
largest  of  which  has  nearly  eight  hundred  inhabitants ;  the 
population  of  the  entire  island  is  about  thirty-five  thousand. 
The  largest  portion  of  the  inhabitants  are  Greeks ;  the  rest 
are  Turks  and  Jews.  The  soil  of  the  island  is  very  fertile,  and 
the  climate  pleasanter  than  that  of  any  other  island  in  the 
Mediterranean.  The  city  of  Rhodes  is  beautifully  situated  on 
the  side  of  a  hill,  and  more  than  half  the  population  of  the 
island  is  found  in  this  city. 

The  History  of  Rhodes. — This  runs  back  to  a  very  early  period. 
Its  name  comes  from  the  Greek  word  for  rose ;  it  was  so  called 
in  the  beginning,  because  it  was  supposed  to  be  among  islands 
what  the  rose  is  among  flowers — the  most  beautiful  of  them  all. 
In  the  early  years  of  its  history  there  were  three  large  cities  on 
this  island,  of  which  Rhodes  was  the  chief ;  these  cities  were 
under  one  government,  which  was  a  sort  of  republic  something 
like  pur  own.  The  people  of  the  .  island  used  then  to  make 
voyages  all  over  the  Mediterranean  Sea.  They  also  made 
settlements,  which  led  to  a  great  deal  of  trade  and  commerce. 
In  consequence  of  all  this  trade,  the  people  of  the  island  grew 
very  rich,  and  the  city  of  Rhodes  became  famous  for  its  splendid 
buildings,  its  paintings  and  statuary.  A  celebrated  writer  and 
traveller,  who  lived  a  few  years  before  our  Saviour  was  born, 
made  a  visit  to  this  city  after  he  had  been  to  Alexandria  and 
Rome,  and  says  that  Rhodes  was  a  finer  city  than  either  of  these 
two,  which  were  so  famous. 

In  later  ages,  since  our  Saviour’s  time,  the  island  of  Rhodes 
was  celebrated  as  being  the  home  of  a  class  of  men  who  were 
called  “  The  Knights  of  St.  John.”  They  were  famous  as 
soldiers,  and  took  part  with  the  Crusaders,  who  fought  so  hard 
to  recover  the  city  of  Jerusalem  from  the  power  and  dominion 


220 


ILLUSTRATED  RAMBLES 


of  the  Turks.  The  island  now  belongs  to  the  Turkish  govern¬ 
ment,  and  very  little  of  its  former  wealth  and  power  remain 
to  it. 

But,  after  all,  the  thing  for  which  Rhodes  was  the  most 
famous,  and  which  most  people  first  think  of  when  they  hear 
about  this  island,  is  its  great  statue.  This  is  what  our  engraving 
is  intended  to  represent ;  it  is  always  spoken  of  as  “  The  Colossus 
of  Rhodes .”  Our  word  colossus  comes  from  a  Greek  word  which 
was  used  to  denote  a  statue  which  is  larger  than  the  natural  size 
of  the  person  represented.  Statues  of  this  large  size  were  very 
common  in  Egypt,  and  in  other  Eastern  countries ;  but  this 
Colossus  of  Rhodes  was  the  most  famous  of  them  all. 

It  was  about  three  hundred  years  before  the  birth  of  Christ 
when  this  celebrated  statue  was  erected.  The  city  of  Rhodes 
had  been  besieged  by  a  Grecian  king ;  after  a  long  struggle, 
the  people  of  Rhodes  succeeded  in  defeating  and  driving  him 
away,  and  to  show  their  gratitude  to  their  god  Apollo,  by  whose 
help  they  believed  their  city  had  been  defended,  they  raised  this 
statue  to  his  honor.  It  took  them  twelve  years  to  make  it ;  it 
had  to  be  cast  in  separate  pieces,  which  were  then  fastened 
together,  for  the  ancients  never  attempted  to  cast  anything  as 
large  as  this  in  one  piece ;  and  indeed  it  would  have  been  very 
difficult  either  to  cast  or  to  handle  it  in  one  piece,  as  it  was 
seventy  cubits  (or  a  hundred  and  five  feet)  in  height ;  it  cost 
three  hundred  talents,  which  was  between  three  and  four 
hundred  thousand  dollars  of  our  money.  It  is  said  that  the 
amount  of  money  first  set  apart  for  erecting  the  statue  was 
all  used  up  before  it  was  half  finished,  and  that  the  artist  first 
employed  was  so  discouraged  that  he  killed  himself,  and  the 
statue  was  finished  by  another  artist.  It  is  said  to  have 
been  built  on  solid  stone  piers  at  the  entrance  of  the  harbor, 
where  it  stood  as  if  to  guard  the  city ;  and  its  size  was  so 
great,  that  the  largest  vessels  of  those  days  could  easily  sail 
under  it.  No  trace  of  this  great  wonder  now  remains,  and 
many  regard  the  whole  story  as  only  one  of  the  myths  of  an 
early  age. 


IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


221 


It  was  not  only  erected  in  honor  of  the  god  Apollo,  hut  was 
intended  to  represent  him.  Apollo  was  famous  as  an  archer, 
and  so  in  the  picture  he  is  seen  with  a  bow  in  his  left  hand ;  he 
was  also  said  to  be  famous  for  his  musical  power,  and  so  he  is 
represented  as  having  hung  at  his  back  a  musical  instrument 
called  a  lyre,  of  which  the  ancients  were  very  fond. 

It  is  said  that  the  statue  was  hollow,  with  a  winding  stair¬ 
case  up  the  inside  of  it,  by  which  persons  could  mount  up  to  the 
head  of  the  figure,  and,  by  looking  through  its  eyes,  could  get  a 
fine  view  of  the  neighboring  islands,  of  the  coast  of  Asia  Minor, 
and  of  the  ships  that  were  sailing  over  the  dark  blue  waters  of 
the  Mediterranean. 

This  famous  statue  stood  in  its  place  for  more  than  fifty 
years;  then  it  was  thrown  down  by  an  earthquake.  It  was 
allowed  to  lie  upon  the  ground  for  hundreds  of  years,  when  it 
was  sold  to  a  Jew,  who  had  it  removed  to  Alexandria.  The 
brass  of  which  it  was  composed  is  said  to  have  weighed  seven 
hundred  and  twenty  thousand  pounds,  and  to  have  made  a  load 
for  nine  hundred  camels.  How  truly  work  of  this  kind  may  be 
called  “  labor  that  satisfieth  not!”  And  how  much  more  honor¬ 
able  and  profitable,  too,  is  any  work  done  for  Jesus ! 

From  Rhodes  to  Smyrna. — Our  steamer  did  not  tarry  long 
at  this  interesting  island,  and  the  signal  to  hasten  on  board 
asrain  was  erven  sooner  than  we  cared  to  hear  it.  But,  however 
reluctant,  we  were  obliged  to  heed  it,  and  cut  short  our  stay  on 
shore.  As  soon  as  we  reached  the  steamer,  she  weighed  anchor 
and  proceeded  on  her  course.  Our  sail  continued  through  the 
Aegean  Sea,  among  the  beautiful  islands  that  dot  its  surface ; 
the  wind  was  blowing  fresh,  but  the  sea  is  so  land-locked  with 
the  numerous  islands  that  there  was  but  little  motion. 

St.  Paul’s  Journey. — We  were  reminded  of  the  great 
apostle’s  voyage  described  in  the  20th  and  21st  chapters  of  the 
Acts  of  the  Apostles;  he  was  journeying  in  the  opposite  direc¬ 
tion  from  our  course — coming  from  the  other  end  of  this  sea ; 
he  was  on  his  way  to  Syria,  which  we  had  just  left.  But  the 
different  islands  at  which  he  stopped— Mitylene,  Chios,  Samos, 


222 


ILLUSTRATED  RAMBLES 


Cos  and  Rhodes — all  lay  in  our  course,  only  we  were  passing 
them  in  an  order  the  reverse  of  that  which  is  mentioned  hy 
Luke.  There  was  something  inspiring  in  the  thought  of  being 
so  intimately  associated  with  the  scene  of  the  earnest  labors  of 
that  godlike  man. 

The  Island  of  Patmos. — It  was  a  beautiful  afternoon  in 
the  month  of  May  when  we  sailed  by  this  famous  island.  I 
walked  up  and  down  the  deck  of  our  steamer,  and  gazed  with 
great  interest  on  the  dark,  rocky  outline  of  this  island,  and 
thought  about  the  strange  things  that  have  been  done  and  the 
wonderful  things  seen  and  heard  here  in  times  past.  In 
speaking  about  it,  there  are  three  things  to  which  I  wish  to 
call  attention.  The  first  thing  is 

A  Description  of  Patmos. — It  lies  in  that  part  of  the  Mediter¬ 
ranean  known  as  the  iEgean  Sea ;  its  distance  from  the  main¬ 
land,  or  Asia  Minor,  is  about  twenty  miles ;  it  is  about  twenty 
miles  in  extent ;  it  is  a  barren,  rocky  island  ;  the  coast  is  rugged 
and  steep  in  most  places,  with  a  number  of  sandy  coves  among 
the  rocks ;  we  have  a  good  view  of  the  principal  one  in  our 
picture.  Here  is  a  pretty  good  harbor  for  trading  vessels,  and 
the  chief  town  of  the  island  is  on  this  bay.  The  population  of 
the  island  is  only  about  four  thousand  people ;  they  are  nearly 
all  Greeks,  although  the  government  of  the  island  is  in  the 
hands  of  the  Turks. 

The  external  aspect  of  the  island  as  viewed  from  the  sea,  and 
the  associations  connected  with  it,  are  thus  described  by  the 
deputation  of  the  Free  Church  of  Scotland  which  visited  the 
place  some  years  since  :  “  We  saw  the  peaks  of  its  two  prominent 
hills,  though  our  course  did  not  lie  very  near.  Still  it  was 
intensely  interesting  to  get  even  a  glance  of  that  memorable 
spot  where  the  beloved  disciple  saw  the  visions  of  God ;  the 
spot,  too,  where  the  Saviour  was  seen  and  His  voice  heard  for 
the  last  time  till  He  comes  again.  John’s  eye  often  rested  on 
the  mountains  and  the  islands  among  which  we  were  passing, 
and  on  the  shores  and  waves  of  this  great  sea ;  and  often,  after 
the  vision  had  passed,  these  natural  features  of  his  place  of 


Isle  of  Patmos. 


. 

J 


IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


223 


exile  would  refresh  his  spirit,  reminding  him  how  he  had  ‘  stood 
on  the  sand  of  the  sea/  and  how  he  had  seen  that  ‘  every  island 
fled  away  and  the  mountains  were  not  found.’  ” 

The  inhabitants  support  themselves  chiefly  by  farming ;  and 
as  the  land  on  the  island  is  so  barren,  they  go  over  to  Asia 
Minor  in  the  summer  time,  and  carry  on  various  farming  ope¬ 
rations  there.  The  next  thing  to  speak  of  is 

The  use  of  Patmos  by  the  Romans. — They  made  it  a  prison  or 
a  place  of  banishment.  England  has  such  a  place  in  New 
Holland,  on  the  other  side  of  the  globe.  The  place  which 
these  prisoners  occupy  is  called  Botany  Bay.  Well,  the  island 
of  Patmos  was  used  by  the  Roman  emperors  as  a  sort  of 
Botany  Bay ;  they  made  choice  of  this  island  for  the  purpose 
named,  because  it  was  such  a  barren,  rocky,  desolate-looking 
place.  We  are  not  told  how  many  people  were  sent  there  at 
a  time,  or  how  they  were  treated,  or  what  they  were  required 
to  do.  If  we  had  a  list  of  the  names  of  all  the  persons  ever 
banished  to  this  island,  with  an  account  of  their  offences  and 
of  how  they  lived  while  here,  how  interesting  it  would  be ! 
But  we  have  no  such  list.  Yet  we  do  know  a  good  deal  about 
one  very  distinguished  person  who  was  sent  here ;  we  always 
think  of  him  when  we  read  of  this  island.  And  so  the  third 
thing  we  have  to  speak  about  is 

John  the  Evangelist  in  Patmos. — He  was  sent  here  as  a  pri¬ 
soner  by  Domitian,  the  Roman  emperor.  But  though  con¬ 
demned  to  this  punishment,  he  was  guilty  of  no  crime  ;  his  own 
account  of  it  is  thus  given  :  “  I  John  .  .  .  Avas  in  the  isle  that  is 
called  Patmos,  for  the  AATord  of  God,  and  for  the  testimony  of 
Jesus  Christ.”  Rev.  i.  9.  His  only  offence  was  preaching  the 
gospel.  This  is  one  of  the  most  useful  and  blessed  things  any¬ 
body  can  ever  do,  and  yet  how  many  persons  have  had  to  suffer 
banishment,  imprisonment,  torture  and  death  for  this  very 
thing !  But  John  had  a  blessed  time  while  he  was  in  Patmos. 
One  of  good  John  Newton’s  hymns  says  that 

“  Prisons  would  palaces  prove, 

If  Jesus  would  dwell  with  us  there.” 


224 


ILLUSTRATED  RAMBLES 


John  the  Evangelist  found  this  true.  The  last  book  of  the 
Bible  was  written  on  this  island.  All  the  wonderful  visions 
described  in  that  book  were  seen  by  John  while  he  was  a  pri¬ 
soner  here.  The  Roman  emperor  would  not  let  John  preach 
about  Jesus,  but  he  could  not  prevent  Jesus  from  coming  and 
speaking  to  him  in  Patmos. 

On  a  hill  at  the  southern  part  of  the  island,  and  commanding 
an  extensive  view,  is  the  celebrated  monastery  which  bears  the 
name  of  “  John  the  Divine.”  Halfway  up  the  ascent  is  the 
grotto  where  tradition  says  the  visions  were  revealed  to  the 
apostle,  and  which  is  still  called  “The  Cave  of  the  Revelation .” 
On  this  lonely  spot  lived  “the  disciple  whom  Jesus  loved.” 
From  his  desolate  abode  his  eye  could  range  over  much  of  the 
surrounding  mainland  of  Asia,  the  chief  field  of  Paul’s  spiritual 
labors,  and  the  sites  of  the  then  populous  cities  where  the  seven 
churches  were  planted.  Some  of  these,  indeed,  as  Smyrna, 
Pergamos  and  Laodicea,  were  planted  by  John  himself. 

The  Roman  emperor  could  confine  the  body  of  the  apostle  to 
one  spot,  but  he  could  not  confine  his  spirit.  We  are  reminded 
here  of  the  sweet-spirited  Cowper’s  lines,  when,  speaking  of  the 
Christian,  he  says : — 

“  The  oppressor  holds  his  body  bound, 

But  knows  not  what  a  range  his  spirit  takes, 

Unconscious  of  a  chain  ;  and  that  to  bind  him 
Is  a  vain  attempt,  whom  God  delights  in, 

Or  in  whom  he  dwells.” 

The  Roman  tyrant  could  prevent  the  apostle  from  visiting 
any  other  portion  of  this  world  save  the  barren  rock  on  which 
he  was  imprisoned,  but  he  could  not  prevent  the  portals  of  the 
unseen  world  from  opening  before  him,  and  unfolding  all  its 
glories  to  his  enraptured  vision.  In  his  silent  solitude  he  might 
be  condemned  to  hear  no  earthly  sound  but  that  of  the  restless 
surge  as  it  broke  on  the  rocks,  or  the  cry  of  the  wild  sea-bird 
as  it  whirled  in  ceaseless  circles  round  his  dwelling,  but  no 
earthly  mandate  could  forbid  that  his  ear  should  be  filled  with 
the  hosannas  of  the  angels  and  the  song  of  Moses  and  the 


IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


225 


Lamb,  or  that  it  should  listen  to  that  “great  multitude”  which 
were  heard  “  as  the  sound  of  many  waters,  and  the  voice  of 
mighty  thunderings,  saying,  Hallelujah !  for  the  Lord  God 
omnipotent  reignetli.” 

Imperial  Caesar  had  power  to  say  to  John,  “Thou  shalt  never 
look  again  upon  the  city  of  the  Great  King,  the  scene  of  thy 
Saviour’s  sufferings,  so  dear  to  thine  heart;”  but  when  there 
came  to  him  “  one  of  the  seven  angels,  and  talked  with  him, 
saying,  Come  hither,  and  I  will  show  thee  the  bride,  the  Lamb’s 
wife,”  imperial  Caesar  had  no  power  to  interfere ;  and  so,  from 
his  prison  on  that  desolate  island,  the  angel  “  carried  him  away 
in  spirit  to  a  great  and  high  mountain,  and  showed  him  that 
great  city,  the  holy  Jerusalem,  descending  out  of  heaven  from 
God,  and  her  light  was  like  unto  a  stone  most  precious,  even 
like  a  jasper  stone,  clear  as  crystal ;  and  the  streets  of  that  city 
were  pure  gold,  as  it  were  transparent  glass.  And  the  city  had 
no  need  of  the  sun,  neither  of  the  moon  to  shine  in  it,  for  the 
glory  of  God  did  lighten  it,  and  the  Lamb  is  the  light  thereof.” 
Who  would  not  gladly  be  banished  to  John’s  prison  at  Patmos, 
if  he  might  but  see  such  visions  as  he  saw  ? 

I  gazed  with  delight  on  this  interesting  island  till,  with  the 
lengthening  distance,  it  gradually  faded  from  our  view.  Then 
we  swept  swiftly  along  between  Samos,  the  birthplace  of  Pytha¬ 
goras,  and  Scio,  the  Chios  of  Homer,  both  of  them  presenting  a 
beautiful  aspect  of  fertility  in  their  plains,  which  extend  down 
to  the  edge  of  the  sea,  and  calling  to  mind  shadowy  dreams  of 
classical  and  scriptural  associations.  The  whole  scene  was  one 
of  surpassing  loveliness,  and  the  sea  was  one  sheet  of  placid 
water.  The  day  closed  with  a  sunset  of  exquisite  beauty, 
abounding  in  those  rich,  soft  hues  that  always  characterize  the 
landscapes  of  Claude  Lorrain. 

Our  sail  continued  through  the  night,  and  on  rising  early  the 
next  morning  we  found  ourselves  making  good  progress  up  the 
beautiful  bay  of  Smyrna,  with  the  city  in  full  view.  For  a 
description  of  this  city  and  an  account  of  our  sojourn  there,  I 
must  refer  to  the  next  chapter. 

15 

■ 

i 


226 


ILLUSTRATED  RAMBLES 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

THE  SEVEN  CHURCHES  OF  ASIA  MINOR — EPHESUS — SMYRNA — PER- 
GAMOS — THYATIRA — SARDIS — PHILADELPHIA — LAODICEA. 

Our  rambles  only  led  us  to  the  scene  of  one  of  these  famous 
churches ;  of  that  we  can  speak  from  personal  observation. 
But  though  we  did  not  visit  the  places  in  which  the  rest  of 
these  churches  were  located,  yet  having  been  in  the  neighbor¬ 
hood  of  them,  and  having  occasion  to  speak  of  one  of  the  places, 
it  seemed  better  to  speak  of  the  others  also.  This,  accordingly, 
we  have  done.  The  engravings  represent  the  localities  of  those 
churches  as  they  now  appear,  and  in  connection  therewith  is  a 
sketch  of  the  history  of  each,  with  a  glance  at  the  epistles 
addressed  to  them  severally.  We  begin,  then,  with 

Ephesus.— Our  engraving  on  the  opposite  page  represents 
the  ruins  of  the  celebrated  city  of  Ephesus.  This  was  situated 
about  forty  miles  from  Smyrna ;  it  was  a  very  large  and  splen¬ 
did  city  at  the  time  when  our  Saviour  was  on  earth.  The  soil 
around  it  is  fertile  and  the  climate  very  mild  and  pleasant. 
There  are  several  things  for  which  Ephesus  must  always  be  an 
interesting  place  to  those  who  study  the  Bible.  One  thing  that 
interests  us  in  this  place  is 

The  Great  Teviple  of  Ephesus.— This  was  a  very  large  and 
gorgeous  building ;  it  was  erected  to  the  honor  of  the  goddess 
Diana.  This  temple  was  four  hundred  and  twenty-five  feet  in 
length,  and  two  hundred  and  twenty  in  breadth ;  it  had  a  hun¬ 
dred  and  twenty-seven  marble  columns,  each  of  which  was  sixty 
feet  in  height,  and  which  were  given  by  so  many  different  kings. 
All  the  provinces  of  Asia  Minor  contributed  to  the  expenses  of 
this  temple,  and  it  took  two  hundred  years  to  finish  the  building 
of  it.  This  splendid  temple  was  set  on  fire  by  a  man  named 
Herostratus.  He  thought  this  would  be  a  sure  way  of  making 
his  name  known  through  all  coming  time ;  in  this  he  was  suc¬ 
cessful,  for  every  one  who  reads  about  the  city  of  Ephesus 
knows  who  it  was  that  destroyed  that  wonderful  building. 


Ephesus. 


- -  -  ----- 


IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


227 


Nothing  was  left  of  it  but  the  walls  and  some  of  the  columns. 
It  was  afterwards  rebuilt  in  the  same  grandeur  as  before.  It 
was  this  second  temple  which  was  standing  in  the  times  of  the 
New  Testament,  and  for  a  long  time  it  was  regaz’ded  as  one 
of  the  wonders  of  the  world.  But  at  last  it  went  to  decay ; 
some  of  the  splendid  columns  belonging  to  it  were  taken  to 
Constantinople,  and  used  to  adorn  the  great  Church  of  St. 
Sophia ;  that  church  is  now  a  Turkish  mosque,  but  those  old 
columns  are  in  it  still.  In  Ephesus  the  place  where  that  grand 
temple  stood  cannot  now  be  told. 

Another  thing  that  interests  us  in  this  city  is 
The  Apostle  Paul’s  Connection  with  Ephesus. — He  introduced 
the  gospel  here,  and  founded  the  first  Christian  church  in  this 
city.  Paul  remained  longer  here  than  he  was  accustomed  to 
do  in  any  one  place.  It  was  a  jfiace  to  which  people  came 
from  all  parts  of  the  world.  This  gave  him  fine  opportunities 
for  preaching  the  gospel.  Every  day,  for  two  years  at  a  time, 
he  went  on  preaching  here  and  arguing  about  the  gospel,  both 
wdth  the  Jews  and  with  the  heathen.  His  preaching  produced 
very  great  effects,  as  we  read  in  the  19th  chapter  of  the  Acts. 
So  many  people  Avere  converted  and  gave  up  worshipping  the 
goddess  Diana,  that  the  silversmiths,  who  got  their  living  by 
making  images  of  this  idol,  began  to  be  afraid  that  their  trade 
would  be  ruined ;  so  they  got  up  a  riot  in  the  city,  with  the 
hope  of  driving  Paul,  the  great  preacher  of  the  new  religion, 
away.  But  they  failed  in  this ;  and  though  the  apostle  went 
away  of  his  OAvn  accord  not  long  after,  yet  the  work  Avent  on, 
and  “  the  word  of  God  mightily  grew  and  prevailed  ”  in 
Ephesus. 

Aftenvards,  when  Paul  Avas  a  prisoner  in  the  city  of  Rome, 
he  Avrote  from  the  prison  in  which  he  was  confined  an  epistle  or 
letter  to  the  Christians  at  Ephesus.  This  epistle  to  the  Ephe¬ 
sians  is  one  of  the  most  interesting  and  instructive  of  all  his 
epistles. 

But  there  is  another  thing  that  makes  this  city  interesting 
to  us,  and  that  is 


228 


ILLUSTRATED  RAMBLES 


The  Apostle  John’s  Connection  with  Ephesus. — This  “  disciple 
whom  Jesus  loved,”  and  who  was  the  gentlest  and  most  loving 
of  all  the  apostles,  is  said  to  have  lived  at  Ephesus,  both  before 
he  was  banished  to  the  island  of  Patmos  and  after  his  release 
from  that  banishment.  It  was  in  his  home  here  that  the 
mother  of  Jesus  is  said  to  have  lived  with  him ;  you  remember 
that  Jesus  committed  His  mother  to  the  care  of  the  apostle 
John,  while  He  was  hanging  on  the  cross.  John  xix.  25-28. 
The  tradition  is  that  she  lived  with  John  at  Ephesus  for  fifteen 
years  after  the  death  of  Jesus,  and  that  she  was  buried  in  this 
city. 

While  John  was  a  prisoner  on  the  island  of  Patmos,  he 
wrote,  at  the  command  of  Jesus,  an  epistle  to  each  of  the  seven 
churches  of  Asia  Minor.  The  first  of  these  epistles  was  written 
“to  the  angel,”  or  minister,  of  the  church  at  Ephesus.  We 
have  this  epistle  in  Rev.  ii.  1-8.  There  is  only  one  thing  in 
this  epistle  to  which  I  wish  to  call  your  attention.  Look  at  the 
5th  verse.  Here  Jesus  threatens  to  “  remove  the  candlestick” 
of  this  church  “  out  of  its  place,  unless  they  repented.”  To 
remove  the  candlestick  of  a  church  out  of  its  place  is  the  same 
as  saying  that  the  light  of  the  gospel  which  that  church  has 
had  should  be  taken  away  from  it,  or  that  the  church  should 
die  out.  And  this  threatening  has  been  fulfilled  to  the  church 
at  Ephesus.  For  long  years  past  not  one  Christian  has  lived 
in  the  place  where  this  great  city,  and  the  church  founded  by 
the  apostle  Paul,  once  flourished.  You  can  see  from  our  picture 
what  a  desolate  place  Ephesus  now  is.  Those  who  go  there  find 
nothing  but  ruins. 

When  the  apostle  John  was  released  from  Patmos,  he  came 
back  to  Ephesus,  and  spent  the  rest  of  his  life  there.  It  is  said 
that  he  was  the  only  one  of  the  apostles  who  did  not  suffer  mar¬ 
tyrdom,  but  died  a  natural  death.  He  lived  to  be  very  old ; 
and  when  he  was  no  longer  able  to  preach,  we  are  told  that  he 
used  to  be  carried  into  the  church,  where  he  would  stand  with 
his  silver  locks  flowing  over  his  shoulders,  and  stretching  out 
his  hands,  would  say,  “  Little  children,  love  one  another !” 


S  M  Y  It  X  A  . 


IN  BIBLE  LANES. 


229 


Smyrna. — In  approaching  this  city,  its  position  and  sur¬ 
roundings  impart  to  it  an  appearance  of  great  beauty.  This, 
however,  is  only  the  “  enchantment  which  distance  lends  to  the 
view.”  It  is  entirely  dispelled  by  a  nearer  approach  to  the 
place.  The  streets  are  found  to  be  so  narrow,  crowded  and 
filthy,  that  you  cease  to  wonder  at  the  prevalence  here  of  the 
cholera,  the  yellow  fever,  the  plague,  and  other  forms  of  disease 
so  dreadful  and  fatal.  We  stopped  at  the  “  Hotel  des  Deux 
Augusta,”  which  was  recommended  to  us  as  the  best  in  the 
place  ;  but  we  found  the  accommodations  very  poor  ;  the  rooms 
were  small,  dark  and  dirty,  and  swarming  with  mosquitoes. 
The  first  night,  before  going  to  bed,  I  killed  fifty  in  my  room, 
and  the  second  night  nearly  seventy.  I  was  obliged  to  do  some 
writing  by  candle-light,  and  could  only  accomplish  it  by  sitting 
with  a  handkerchief  round  my  head  and  gloves  on  my  hands. 
But,  in  spite  of  these  drawbacks,  Smyrna  is  a  very  interesting 
place  to  visit ;  it  is  so  for  several  reasons :  in  the  first  place,  it 
is  interesting  for 

Its  Position  and  History. — Notwithstanding  what  we  have  said 
of  it,  Smyrna  is  one  of  the  finest  and  most  flourishing  cities 
of  the  Levant.  It  is  the  lovely  crown  of  the  district  of  Iona,  to 
which  it  belongs,  and  instead  of  decaying  in  modern  times,  like 
most  of  the  cities  of  the  East,  this  bright  ornament  of  Asia 
Minor  has  risen  from  her  ruins  with  new  splendor.  The  popu¬ 
lation  is  variously  estimated  at  130,000  to  150,000  people; 
nearly  one-third  of  these  are  Christians  and  Jews,  and  the  rest 
Mahommedans.  It  is  pleasantly  situated  on  the  sloping  sides 
of  Mount  Pagus,  whose  extended  ridges  embrace  the  locality, 
helping  to  defend  and  adorn  it,  and  at  the  same  time  to  supply 
its  buildings  with  a  profusion  of  the  purest  white  marble. 

The  present  city  of  Smyrna  dates  back  to  the  time  of  Alex¬ 
ander  the  Great.  In  earlier  times  there  had  been  a  city  here, 
which  had  been  destroyed  and  left  in  ruins  for  four  hundred 
years.  But  the  Macedonian  conqueror,  while  pushing  onward 
in  his  victorious  career,  is  said  to  have  had  visions  in  which  he 
was  commanded  to  found  a  city  in  this  locality.  In  obedience 


230 


ILLUSTRATED  RAMBLES 


to  that  vision  Smyrna  was  founded,  and  has  continued,  through 
various  changes,  to  the  present  day.  The  unusual  prosperity 
of  the  city  may  well  occasion  surprise,  especially  in  view  of  the 
unhealthiness  of  its  situation  and  its  exposure  to  earthquakes. 
These  are  of  frequent  occurrence,  and  they  are  often  of  a  most 
serious  character ;  in  1814  not  less  than  40,000  of  the  inhabit¬ 
ants  were  destroyed  by  one  of  these  awful  visitations. 

We  made  an  excursion  one  afternoon  during  our  stay  here  to 
the  summit  of  Mount  Pagus,  which  lies  back  of  the  town,  for 
the  twofold  purpose  of  enjoying  the  view  it  affords  of  the  city 
and  its  surroundings,  and  also  of  inspecting  the  extensive  ruins 
of  a  fine  old  castle  that  stands  there.  From  the  walls  of  this 
castle  we  could  look  directly  down  upon  the  city,  and  at  the 
same  time  had  a  charming  view  of  the  splendid  bay  at  the  head 
of  which  Smyrna  is  situated,  with  the  shipping  lying  at  anchor 
before  the  city,  and  of  the  beautiful  panorama  of  mountains 
encircling  the  bay  on  every  side.  The  castle,  whose  ruins  still 
remain,  belongs  to  a  period  some  seven  or  eight  centuries  back ; 
it  figured  largely  in  the  events  of  those  days,  though  the  details 
of  its  history  are  buried  in  oblivion. 

The  Classical  Associations  of  Smyrna. — This  is  the  second 
thing  that  invests  this  old  city  with  peculiar  interest.  Smyrna 
claims  the  honor  of  having  given  birth  to  Homer.  Of  this 
there  can  be  little  doubt,  as  Homer  himself  states  that  he  was 
born  on  the  banks  of  the  Meles,  a  small  stream  which  flows  in 
a  northerly  direction  along  the  eastern  limits  of  the  city ;  in 
summer  time  it  dwindles  to  an  insignificant  brook,  but  in 
winter  it  is  said  to  be  a  river  with  a  full  and  foaming  volume 
of  water.  On  the  banks  of  this  classic  stream,  and  far  up 
towards  its  source,  a  cave  is  shown  which  is  said  to  have  been 
the  solitary  retreat  in  which  the  sublime  old  poet  was  accus¬ 
tomed  to  compose  his  verses.  This  is  the  only  memorial 
of  Homer  pointed  out  here.  But  in  the  vicinity  of  this  town 
are  shown  the  tomb  of  Tantalus,  as  well  as  the  place  of  his 
abode.  Here,  also,  tradition  locates  Diana’s  bath,  whence  Ac¬ 
tion's  hounds  pursued  and  tore  the  hands  that  caressed  them. 


IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


231 


On  the  castle  hill,  of  which  I  have  spoken  above,  are  some 
remains  of  ancient  Smyrna.  Portions  of  the  old  Hellenic  walls 
are  still  visible  in  the  ruins  of  the  castle,  which  occupies  the 
site  of  the  Acropolis  on  the  summit  of  Mount  Pagus.  Within 
the  circuit  are  some  relics  of  the  Temple  of  Jupiter.  The 
stadium  of  the  ancient  theatre  is  formed  on  one  side  by  an 
excavation  in  the  hill.  The  seats  and  ornaments  have  been 
removed,  but  the  form  of  it  may  be  distinctly  traced.  To  the 
classical  student  these  are  points  of  great  interest.  But  to  the 
Christian  traveller  everything  else  in  Smyrna  is  lost  sight  of  in 
comparison  with 

Its  Connection  with  Scripture. — Asia  Minor  is  as  rich  in  its 
scriptural  associations  almost  as  Palestine  itself.  The  history 
of  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles  has  made  well  nigh  every  spot  here 
classic  ground  to  the  Bible  student.  It  is  all  linked  in  with 
New  Testament  memories.  Here  an  apostle  was  born,  there  he 
taught,  and  yonder  he  suffered ;  on  the  face  of  that  hill  a 
martyr  died,  and  amid  the  pensive  beauty  of  that  grove  of 
cypress  trees  his  body  was  interred.  And  spots  so  sacred  as 
these  may  well  excite  feelings  of  enduring  interest  and  solemn 
delight. 

Smyrna  was  the  seat  of  one  of  the  seven  churches  of  Asia 
Minor  to  which  the  celebrated  epistles  of  the  book  of  the  Reve¬ 
lations  of  St.  John  were  addressed.  It  was  also  the  scene  of  the 
martyrdom  of  the  venerable  Polycarp,  who  was  the  pupil  of  the 
apostle  John,  and  is  supposed  to  have  been  “  the  angel  ”  to 
whom  was  addressed  “  the  epistle  to  the  church  of  Smyrna.” 
The  spot  is  pointed  out  near  the  stadium,  where  tradition  says 
this  eminent  servant  of  God  sealed  his  testimony  to  the  truth 
of  the  gospel  with  his  blood. 

If  we  look  at  the  epistle  to  the  seven  churches,  we  shall  see 
that  three  of  the  churches,  Ephesus,  Sardis  and  Laodicea,  are 
more  severely  threatened  than  the  other  four.  These,  viz., 
Smyrna,  Pergamos,  Thyatira  and  Philadelphia,  are  partly  com¬ 
mended,  and  only  very  mildly  menaced,  and  it  is  a  point  of 
great  interest  to  know,  as  a  simple  resulting  fact,  that  these 


232 


ILLUSTRATED  RAMBLES 


four  are  populous  cities  still,  and  contain  communities  of  at 
least  nominal  Christians,  while  the  others  are  empty  and  waste. 

But  let  us  especially  look  at  the  epistle  to  the  church  of 
Smyrna  in  connection  with  its  subsequent  history  and  present 
condition. 

We  find  the  epistle  to  this  church  in  Rev.  ii.  8-10 :  “  To  the 
angel  of  the  church  in  Smyrna  write ;  These  things  saith  the 
first  and  the  last,  which  was  dead,  and  is  alive ;  I  know  thy 
works,  and  tribulation,  and  poverty  (but  thou  art  rich),  and  I 
know  the  blasphemy  of  them  which  say  they  are  Jews,  and  are 
not,  but  are  the  synagogue  of  Satan.  Fear  none  of  those  things 
which  thou  slialt  suffer;  behold,  the  devil  shall  cast  some  of  you 
into  prison,  that  ye  may  be  tried ;  and  ye  shall  have  tribulation 
ten  days :  be  thou  faithful  unto  death,  and  I  will  give  thee  a 
crown  of  life.” 

The  church  of  Smyrna  is  here  pronounced  by  Christ,  the 
author  of  these  epistles,  as  rich,  and  no  judgment  is  pronounced 
against  it.  The  members  of  that  church  are  warned  of  a  tribu¬ 
lation  of  ten  days — the  ten  years’  persecution  of  Diocletian. 
They  are  enjoined  to  “  be  faithful  unto  death,”  and  have  the 
promise  that  they  shall  “  receive  a  crown  of  life.”  And  ac¬ 
cording  to  the  prediction  of  this  epistle,  Smyrna  is  still,  as  we 
have  seen,  a  large  and  flourishing  city.  It  has  several  Greek 
churches,  and  an  English  and  other  Christian  ministers  reside 
there.  The  light  has  indeed  become  dim,  but  the  candlestick 
has  not  been  wholly  removed  out  of  its  place,  because  prophecy 
has  not  so  predicted.  On  the  contrary,  in  spite  of  awful  and 
oft-repeated  calamities  from  plague  and  earthquake,  the  city 
continues  rather  to  increase  than  to  diminish.  Great  portions 
of  the  inhabitants  have  been  destroyed  several  times  in  a 
moment ;  and  dreadful  fires  innumerable  have  destroyed  whole 
streets  at  a  time.  The  sea,  driven  in  by  internal  convulsions, 
has  swallowed  up  thousands  at  once,  and  the  plague  has  visited 
the  city,  till  of  late,  at  least  twice  every  year.  These  causes 
would  have  destroyed  any  other  city  in  the  world  ten  times 
over.  But  Smyrna  has  been  preserved,  in  the  midst  of  these 


- — 


Pergamos. 


IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


233 


oft-recurring  calamities,  because  God  in  His  wisdom  and  might 
has  willed  it  to  be  so.  John  saw  it,  and  foretold  it  of  old  from 
Patmos. 

Travellers  have  attempted  to  explain  the  secret  of  the  con¬ 
tinued  prosperity  of  Smyrna  by  telling  of  its  spacious  and 
secure  harbor,  of  the  luxuriant  fertility  of  its  soil,  producing 
spontaneously  every  species  of  fruit  of  the  finest  quality,  and 
ot  the  salubrity  of  its  climate.  These  they  say  have  operated 
for  two  thousand  years  to  collect  and  keep  together  the  vast 
mass  of  its  inhabitants  from  every  quarter  of  the  globe.  But 
these  same  causes  have  been  in  operation  in  other  parts  of  Asia 
Minor.  Certainly  if  these  were  all  that  had  to  do  with  it, 
Ephesus,  for  instance,  which  is  but  forty  miles  distant  from 
Smyrna,  ought  to  have  retained  its  prosperity  too.  But  in 
the  epistle  to  the  church  at  Ephesus,  the  Head  of  the  Church 
threatened  to  “  remove  her  candlestick  out  of  its  place.” 

And  how  different  the  history  of  Ephesus  has  been  from  that 
of  Smyrna !  Imagination  can  scarcely  picture  the  change  which 
has  taken  place  there  since  these  epistles  were  written.  All 
around  Ephesus  is  now  a  sea  of  ruins  and  desolation.  A  few 
unintelligible  heaps  of  stones,  with  some  empty  mud  cottages, 
are  all  that  remain  of  the  great  city  of  Ephesus.  The  busy 
hum  of  its  noisy  population  is  as  still  as  the  grave.  The  epistle 
to  the  Ephesians  is  read  throughout  the  world,  but  there  is  not 
one  Christian  residing  at  Ephesus  to  read  it  now.  But  Smyrna, 
in  its  continued  prosperity,  remains,  bearing  eloquent  testimony 
to  the  faithfulness  with  which  God  causes  the  predictions  of  His 
word  to  be  fulfilled. 

Pergamos. — The  third  of  the  seven  churches  of  Asia  Minor 
to  which  the  apostle  John  wrote  his  epistles  or  letters  from  the 
island  of  Patmos,  was  at  a  city  called  Pergamos.  The  en¬ 
graving  we  have  here  gives  us  a  view  of  the  ruins  of  this  place. 
It  was  about  three  days’  journey  from  Smyrna,  at  the  rate  at 
which  people  were  accustomed  to  travel  in  the  days  in  which 
the  Bible  was  written.  This  city  was  situated  on  the  banks 
of  a  river  named  Caicus,  and  was  about  twelve  miles  from  the 


234 


ILLUSTRATED  RAMBLES 


sea.  The  name  of  the  place  has  been  changed  from  Pergamos 
to  Bergama.  The  epistle  which  was  sent  to  the  church  in  this 
place  we  find  written  in  Rev.  ii.  12-17. 

There  are  three  things  about  the  church  at  Pergamos  of  which 
I  wish  to  speak. 

The  first  thing  is,  that  it  was  a  church  in  a  very  rich  place. 
Two  things  about  this  city  show  us  how  rich  it  was.  One  of 
these  is  the  splendor  of  its  ruins.  The  city  still  has  a  popula¬ 
tion  of  from  twelve  to  fifteen  thousand.  But  all  around  it,  in 
every  direction,  are  vast  quantities  of  blocks  and  columns  and 
broken  pillars  of  white  marble.  Some  of  these  columns  are 
thirty  and  forty  feet  in  length.  In  some  places  they  are  buried 
in  the  earth,  and  in  others  they  lie  scattered  over  the  surface 
of  it.  But  there  are  no  marble  quarries  near  the  city.  This 
material  must  all  have  been  brought  from  a  great  distance. 
These  marble  ruins  are  so  great  that  for  hundreds  of  years  the 
Turks  have  used  them  for  quarries.  They  break  up  these 
marbles  for  building  stones,  and  burn  them  for  lime.  And  so 
the  greatness  of  these  ruins  shows  us  how  rich  a  place  Pergamos 
must  once  have  been. 

Another  thing  which  showed  this  was  the  very  valuable  library 
that  was  formed  here.  Before  the  time  of  our  Saviour,  there 
was  a  very  wise  and  wealthy  king  named  Eumenes,  who  lived 
here.  He  spent  a  vast  amount  of  money  upon  this  library. 
Of  course  they  had  no  printed  books  in  those  days.  There 
wTere  none  but  written  books  then.  These  were  called  manu¬ 
scripts.  This  means  written  by  hand.  Of  these  written  books 
it  is  said  there  were  two  hundred  thousand  volumes  in  this 
library  at  Pergamos. 

It  is  singular  enough  that  our  word  “ parchment  ”  came  from 
this  place,  and  the  library  of  which  we  are  speaking.  In  those 
days  the  leaves  of  the  papyrus  plant,  in  Egypt,  were  used  in¬ 
stead  of  paper.  In  making  up  his  great  library,  this  king 
found  it  impossible  to  get  as  many  of  the  papyrus  leaves  as  he 
needed.  He  then  had  manufactories  established  at  Pergamos 
for  the  preparation  of  sheep-skins  and  the  skins  of  other  ani- 


IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


235 


mals,  for  the  purpose  of  writing  on  them.  These  were  soon 
found  to  he  whiter  and  smoother  and  more  durable  than  the 
papyrus  leaves.  They  were  at  first  called  “ Pergamos  paper” 
but,  for  shortness  and  convenience  sake,  they  were  afterwards 
called  parchment — the  name  we  still  apply  to  them. 

But  then,  secondly,  Pergamos  was  also  a  very  wicked  place. 
There  is  one  thing  in  v.  13  that  shows  how  wicked  this  place 
was ;  there  it  is  said  that  “  Satan’s  seat  ”  was  at  Pergamos. 
Where  fire  is,  we  expect  it  to  be  warm ;  where  the  sun  is,  we 
expect  it  to  be  light ;  where  ice  is,  we  expect  it  to  be  cold ;  and 
where  Satan  is,  and  especially  where  he  dwells  and  rules,  we 
may  well  expect  to  find  wickedness  prevailing  in  an  unusual 
degree.  And  this  was  the  case  at  Pergamos.  Wherever  Satan 
is,  we  may  be  sure  he  will  be  stirring  up  men  to  all  sorts  of 
wickedness. 

In  the  14th  verse  we  are  told  how  he  did  this.  He  taught 
the  people  “  the  doctrine  of  Balaam.”  This  was  a  wicked 
prophet  about  whom  we  read  in  Numbers,  chapters  xxii.,  xxiii. 
and  xxiv.  He  tempted  the  children  of  Israel  to  worship  the 
idols  of  the  Moabites,  to  eat  the  meat  that  had  been  offered  to 
those  idols,  and  to  do  many  other  very  wicked  things.  This 
made  God  angry  with  them.  He  sent  a  plague  among  them, 
by  which  thousands  of  the  people  were  killed.  Balaam  also 
was  killed  in  battle  as  a  punishment  for  his  wickedness.  And 
Satan,  who  tempted  Balaam  to  all  these  wrong  things,  tempted 
the  people  at  Pergamos  to  do  the  same  sort  of  things.  And 
this  made  it  a  wicked  place. 

But  then  it  was  also  a  very  faithful  place.  I  mean  by  this  that 
there  were  some  very  faithful  people  there.  Jesus  says  (v.  13) 
that  the  members  of  this  church  had  been  faithful,  amidst  all 
the  wickedness  about  them,  in  not  denying  His  name.  And 
He  speaks  of  His  martyr  Antipas,  who  had  showed  his  faithful¬ 
ness  by  being  willing  to  die  rather  than  give  up  his  religion. 
We  know  nothing  more  about  this  good  man  than  what  is 
mentioned  of  him  here.  But  this  shows  us  how  earnest  and 
faithful  the  members  of  the  church  at  Pergamos  were. 


236 


ILLUSTRATED  RAMBLES 


And  because  they  were  so  faithful,  Jesus  gave  them  a  very 
precious  promise  in  v.  17.  He  said  they  should  eat  of  the 
“  hidden  manna.”  This  refers  to  the  happiness  and  joy  He 
would  give  them,  both  while  they  were  serving  Him  in  this 
world  and  when  He  took  them  to  live  with  Him  in  heaven. 
He  also  promised  to  give  them  “  a  white  stone,  with  a  new 
name,”  which  nobody  should  know  about  but  those  who  received 
it.  This  may  have  a  good  many  meanings,  which  there  is  not 
time  for  us  to  speak  of  now.  But  there  is  one  thing  that  it 
certainly  means.  In  former  times  kings  were  accustomed  to 
give  to  those  whom  they  especially  loved  a  jewel  with  some 
word  engraved  upon  it,  as  a  mark  of  particular  favor.  And  so 
Jesus  will  give  to  His  faithful  people  some  special  token  of  His 
loving  kindness.  Let  us  try  to  serve  Him  truly,  and  then  He 
will  fill  our  hearts  with  joy  and  give  us  all  the  good  things  He 
has  promised  to  His  people. 

Thyatira. — Here  we  have  a  view  of  the  ruins  of  Thyatira. 
It  was  to  the  church  in  this  place  that  the  apostle  John  wrote 
from  the  island  of  Patrnos  the  fourth  of  the  epistles  or  letters 
which  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  sent  to  the  seven  churches  in  Asia 
Minor.  These  were  not  John’s  letters,  but  the  letters  of  Jesus. 
John  was  only  the  scribe  or  writer  of  them.  He  held  the  pen 
for  Jesus,  and  wrote  down  just  what  He  told  him.  All  the 
thoughts  and  words  in  these  letters  are  the  thoughts  and  words 
of  Jesus.  If  I  take  my  pen  and  sit  down  to  write,  and  you  sit 
down  by  me  and  tell  me  what  to  write,  then  you  would  be  dic¬ 
tating  to  me,  or  telling  me  what  to  write.  When  these  letters 
were  written,  Jesus  was  dictating  and  John  was  writing. 

Thyatira  was  a  flourishing  city  of  Asia  Minor  at  the  time 
when  these  epistles  were  written.  A  great  Roman  road  ran 
through  this  country,  and  these  cities  were  situated  on  this  road 
in  the  order  in  which  they  are  mentioned  in  the  book  of  Reve¬ 
lations.  Thyatira  was  about  two  days’  journey  from  Pergamos, 
according  to  the  slow  rate  of  travelling  in  those  days.  There  is 
not  so  much  to  interest  us  in  the  history  of  this  place  as  in  the 
case  of  most  of  the  other  cities  to  which  these  seven  epistles 


Thyatira.  P.  236. 


IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


237 


were  written.  Tlie  modern  name  by  which  this  city  is  known 
is  Ak-hissar,  which  means  “  the  white  castle.” 

We  find  the  epistle  to  “the  angel  of  the  church  at  Thyatira” 
in  Rev.  ii.  18-29. 

There  are  four  things  to  speak  about  here.  These  are :  the 
lesson,  the  threat,  the  duty,  the  promise,  in  this  epistle.  Let  us 
look  a  moment,  in  the  first  place,  at 

The  lesson  taught. — This  lesson  is  about  the  character  of  Jesus. 
In  y.  18,  He  is  spoken  of  as  “  the  Son  of  God,  who  hath  his  eyes 
like  unto  aflame  of  fire.”  Here  we  are  taught  two  things  about 
Jesus.  We  see  hoiv  easily  He  can  find  out  our  sins.  When  a 
flame  of  fire  is  kindled  in  any  place,  no  matter  how  dark  that 
place  was  before,  it  will  be  light  enough  now.  Nothing  in  it 
could  be  seen  before,  but  now  everything  there  can  be  seen  in  a 
moment.  And  so  it  is  with  our  lives  and  our  hearts.  When 
Jesus  looks  at  them  with  “  his  eyes  like  a  flame  of  fire,”  it  is 
just  as  if  a  sunbeam  were  turned  on  them.  Nothing  can  be 
hid  from  Him.  He  sees  everything  that  we  have  done.  He 
knows  all  that  we  have  said  or  thought  or  felt.  Let  us  re¬ 
member  these  “  eyes  like  a  flame  of  fire”  that  Jesus  has,  and  let 
us  not  try  to  hide  anything  from  Him. 

And  then  this  lesson  shows  us  how  easily  Jesus  can  punish  us 
for  our  sms,  as  w7ell  as  find  them  out.  A  flame  of  fire  has 
power  not  only  to  give  light  and  show  things,  but  also  to  burn 
them  up.  And  so  wThen  wre  think  of  those  flaming  eyes  of  Jesus, 
it  should  lead  us  to  remember  what  power  He  has  to  punish  us 
if  we  do  not  repent  of  our  sins  and  try  to  serve  Him. 

The  second  thing  to  speak  about  in  this  epistle  is 
The  threat  uttered. — This  Ave  read  of  in  vs.  20-24.  I  cannot 
attempt  to  explain  all  this.  But  it  is  enough  to  know  that 
there  was  a  wicked  woman  named  “Jezebel”  living  at  Thyatira, 
and  connected  with  the  church.  She  was  teaching  the  people 
to  do  very  wicked  things.  And  here  Jesus  threatens  to  “  kill 
her  and  her  children  Avith  death,”  unless  they  repented  and  left 
off  their  wicked  ways.  To  “  kill  with  death”  means  not  only 
that  they  should  die,  but  that  they  should  die  by  some  sudden 


238 


ILLUSTRATED  RAMBLES 


and  violent  death,  as  by  plague  or  famine  or  sword.  It  would 
be  very  interesting  if  we  knew  what  the  effect  of  this  threaten¬ 
ing  was :  whether  they  repented  or  not ;  and  if  not,  in  what 
way  the  threat  was  fulfilled.  But  we  may  be  very  sure  that 
the  threat  was  fulfilled  if  they  did  not  repent.  We  know  how 
sure  God’s  promises  are.  But  all  His  threatenings  are  just  as 
sure  as  His  promises. 

The  third  thing  to  notice  in  this  epistle  is 
The  duty  urged. — This  is  spoken  of  in  v.  25,  where  Jesus  says, 
“ But  that  which  ye  have  already ,  hold  fast  till  I  come.”  This 
means  that  they  should  remember  all  the  truth  they  had  been 
taught  about  Jesus  as  their  Saviour.  It  is  the  same  duty  that 
the  apostle  Paul  urges  on  the  Hebrew  Christians,  when  he  says, 
“  Therefore  we  ought  to  give  the  more  earnest  heed  to  the  things 
that  we  have  heard,  lest  at  any  time  we  let  them  slip.”  Heb.  ii.  1. 
You  know  how  it  is  when  water  is  poured  into  a  leaky  bucket ; 
it  runs  out  quickly,  and  very  soon  it  is  all  gone.  When  we 
have  bad  memories,  our  minds  are  like  such  a  leaky  vessel ;  the 
things  that  we  are  taught  run  away  from  us,  as  water  runs 
through  a  sieve.  And  so  this  lesson  about  “  holding  fast,”  and 
“  not  letting  slip  the  things  that  we  have  heard,”  is  a  very  im¬ 
portant  one  for  us.  Let  us  remember  it  when  we  are  in  church 
or  in  Sunday-school,  and  let  us  try  to  “  hold  fast  that  which  we 
have  already.”  Let  our  prayer  be — in  the  words  of  the  hymn — 

“  O,  write  upon  our  memories,  Lord, 

The  texts  and  doctrines  of  thy  word, 

That  we  may  break  thy  laws  no  more, 

But  love  thee  better  than  before.” 

The  last  thing  to  speak  about  in  this  epistle  is 
The  promise  given. — This  is  spoken  of  in  vs.  26-28.  One 
thing  that  Jesus  promises  to  His  faithful  people  here  is  “  power 
over  the  nations.”  It  is  not  very  easy  to  tell  exactly  what  is 
meant  by  this.  It  refers,  no  doubt,  to  some  position  of  honor 
that  Jesus  will  give  to  His  people  in  that  glorious  kingdom  for 
which  we  are  taught  to  pray,  when  we  say,  “  Thy  kingdom 


Sardis.  P-  239. 


IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


239 


come.”  But  though  we  may  not  understand  its  meaning  now, 
if  we  only  love  and  serve  Jesus,  we  shall  know  all  about  it 
by  and  by. 

But  there  is  another  part  of  this  promise  which  is  not  so  hard 
to  understand.  In  the  28th  verse,  Jesus  says,  “I  will  give  him 
the  morning  star  .”  You  know  what  a  beautiful  thing  the 
morning  star  is.  Jesus  says  of  himself,  “I  am  the  bright  and 
morning  star”  And  if  He  is  “  the  morning  star,”  then  when 
He  promises  to  give  the  morning  star  to  His  people,  it  means 
that  He  will  give  himself  to  them.  And  this  is  a  blessed 
promise.  For  Jesus  has  all  riches  and  wisdom  and  power  in 
himself.  And  if  He  gives  us  himself,  He  must  give  us  all 
these  things.  You  remember,  in  the  account  we  have  of  the 
transfiguration  of  our  Saviour,  how  wonderful  the  beauty  and 
glory  of  His  appearance  was.  His  raiment  was  white  as  snow, 
and  His  face  was  brighter  than  the  sun.  Well,  that  is  the  way 
in  which  Jesus  will  appear  when  He  comes  into  our  world 
again.  And  then  the  apostle  Paul  tells  us  that  “  we  shall  be 
like  him,  for  we  shall  see  him  as  he  is.”  He  will  he  as  glorious 
and  beautiful  as  the  morning  star,  and  all  who  love  Him  will 
share  that  beauty  and  that  glory.  And  then  the  words  of  Jesus 
will  be  fulfilled,  in  which  He  promises  to  all  His  conquering 
people  that  He  “  will  give  them  the  maiming  siut.”  This  is  a 
blessed  promise.  May  it  be  fulfilled  in  our  experience ! 

Sardis. — The  fifth  of  the  epistles  which  John  wrote  from 
Patmos  to  the  churches  of  Asia  Minor  was  sent  to  the  church 
of  Sardis.  The  engraving  here  given  represents  the  place  as  it 
now  appears  to  those  who  visit  it.  A  few  poor  huts,  some  ruins 
scattered  around,  and  two  beautiful  columns,  as  seen  in  the 
engraving  (supposed  to  be  the  remains  of  one  of  the  oldest 
temples  in  the  world),  are  all  that  can  at  present  be  found  here. 
The  name  which  the  place  now  bears  is  Sart. 

Sardis  was  a  very  ancient  city ;  it  stood  in  the  midst  of  a 
beautiful,  fertile  plain.  Out  of  this  plain  rose  a  high  mountain, 
called  Mount  Tmolus,  and  through  the  plain  flowed  the  river 
Pactolus,  which  was  famous  in  old  times  for  the  golden  sands 


240 


ILLUSTRATED  RAMBLES 


along  its  banks,  out  of  winch  great  quantities  of  that  precious 
metal  were  found. 

Before  speaking  of  the  epistle  to  the  church  at  Sardis,  there 
is  an  interesting  story  connected  with  this  city,  which  may  well 
be  told  here ;  it  is 

The  Story  of  Croesus. — He  was  one  of  the  most  famous  of  the 
Lydian  kings.  Sardis  was  the  capital  of  his  kingdom  ;  it  was 
then  in  the  height  of  its  glory.  Croesus  had  been  successful  in 
his  wars,  and  was  considered  the  wealthiest  king  in  the  world 
at  that  time ;  he  had  so  much  money,  that  it  has  become  a 
proverb  from  that  day  to  this,  when  speaking  of  any  one  very 
well  off,  to  say  that  “  he  is  as  rich  as  Croesus.”  In  view  of  his 
great  wealth  and  power,  he  considered  himself  one  of  the  most 
favored  of  men.  A  great  many  wise  and  learned  men  lived  at 
Sardis  then ;  among  them  was  Solon,  who  was  looked  upon  as 
the  wisest  man  living.  One  day  Croesus  asked  Solon  who  was 
the  happiest  man  he  knew.  Ide  supposed,  of  course,  he  wrould 
tell  him  that  he- was.  Instead  of  this,  Solon  mentioned  several 
other  persons,  but  said  nothing  about  the  king.  Croesus  then 
asked  if  he  did  not  consider  him  very  happy.  Solon  said  great 
persons,  like  Croesus,  were  liable  to  meet  with  so  many  changes, 
that  it  was  not  right  to  call  them  happy  till  they  died. 

Some  years  after  this,  the  celebrated  Cyrus  came  that  way 
with  a  great  army ;  he  conquered  Croesus  in  battle,  captured 
his  city,  made  him  a  prisoner,  took  away  his  riches  from  him, 
and  ordered  him  to  be  burned  to  death.  A  great  pile  of  wood 
was  prepared.  Croesus  was  bound  and  stretched  on  the  pile. 
As  he  lay  there  waiting  for  the  fire  to  kindle,  he  thought  of 
what  Solon  had  said.  This  led  him  to  cry  out  “  0  Solon, 
Solon,  Solon !”  On  hearing  this,  Cyrus  felt  curious  to  know 
what  it  meant;  he  ordered  him  to  be  unbound  and  brought 
before  him  ;  then  he  asked  what  he  meant  by  calling  on  Solon. 
Croesus  told  him  what  Solon  had  said  about  the  changes  to 
which  kings  are  liable.  This  story  so  touched  the  heart  of 
Cyrus,  that  he  saved  the  life  of  Croesus,  restored  to  him  his  city, 
and  became  his  friend. 


IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


241 


The  Epistle  to  the  Church  of  Sai'dis. — We  find  this  epistle  in 
Key.  iii.  1-6.  There  are  three  things  which  are  most  important 
to  notice  in  this  epistle  :  the  first  of  these  is 

The  State  of  the  Church. — In  v.  1,  Jesus  says,  “  Thou  hast  a 
name  that  thou  livest,  and  art  dead.”  And  in  v.  2,  He  speaks 
of  “ things  that  are  ready  to  die”  in  this  church.  He  says,  also, 
that  lie  “has  not  found  her  work  perfect  before  God.” 

Some  of  the  other  churches  were  found  fault  with  for  false 
doctrines  which  they  held,  or  wrong  things  which  they  did ; 
but  it  was  not  so  with  the  church  at  Sardis.  This  church  was 
like  a  sick  man  who  has  not  life  enough  left  to  do  anything ;  it 
was  like  a  candle,  the  flame  of  which  was  flickering  before  it 
went  out.  The  members  of  this  church  were  losing  their  love 
for  Jesus  and  their  interest  in  His  cause.  They  were  folding 
their  hands  and  sitting  down  in  idleness,  when  there  was  so 
much  to  be  done.  The  church  in  Sardis  was  a  cold  church,  a 
feeble  church,  a  sick  church,  almost  a  dead  church.  This  was 
its  state. 

The  second  thing  to  notice  about  this  church  is 
The  Directions  given  to  it. — Four  things  are  pointed  out  for 
them  to  do  in  vs.  2  and  3.  They  were  to  “remember”  all  that 
had  been  done  for  them  ;  they  were  to  “  hold  fast  ”  and 
“strengthen”  what  little  good  was  left  in  them;  they  were  to 
“repent”  of  having  allowed  themselves  to  get  so  cold  and  dead ; 
and  they  were  to  “ watch”  against  the  danger  they  were  in 
of  losing  the  little  grace  that  was  left  to  them.  Jesus  would 
have  them  do  with  the  little  religion  they  had  what  we  do  with 
a  fire  on  the  hearth  when  it  has  almost  gone  out ;  we  rake  to¬ 
gether  the  live  coals  or  sparks  that  remain,  and  gently  blow 
them  or  fan  them  till  they  kindle  into  a  flame  that  will  begin 
to  burn  again  with  new  life.  This  is  the  meaning  of  the 
directions  here  given  to  the  church  at  Sardis. 

In  the  opening  of  the  epistle,  Jesus  points  out  to  them 
how  they  may  do  this.  He  says,  in  v.  1,  “I am  he  that  hath  the- 
seven  spirits  of  God.”  “ The  seven  spirits  of  God”  means  the 
Holy  Spirit.  Jesus  wished  to  remind  the  members  of  this 
16 


242 


ILLUSTRATED  RAMBLES 


church  that  they  could  not  do  the  things  they  are  here  told  to 
do  in  their  own  strength ;  that  they  needed  the  help  of  the 
Holy  Spirit  to  enable  them  to  do  these,  and  that  He  had  this 
spirit,  and  was  ready  to  give  it  to  His  people  when  they  prayed 
to  Him  for  it.  This  is  very  important  for  us  to  remember. 
We  need  the  help  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in  reading  and  studying 
the  Bible,  and  in  all  our  efforts  either  to  get  good  for  ourselves 
or  to  do  good  to  others. 

The  third  thing  to  notice  in  this  epistle  to  the  church  at 
Sardis  is 

The  Promise  held  out  to  it. — This  is  one  of  those  promises 
that  the  apostle  Peter  speaks  of  as  “  exceeding  great  and  pre¬ 
cious  promises.”  We  find  this  promise  in  vs.  4  and  5  ;  it  takes 
in  four  blessed  things  which  Jesus  says  He  will  give  to  all  who 
follow  His  directions,  who  “overcome”  their  enemies  and  serve 
Him  faithfully.  Here  are  the  four  things  wrapped  up  in  this 
promise :  the  first  is,  their  names  shall  not  be  blotted  out  of  the 
book  of  life.  This  means  they  shall  have — as  the  hymn  says — 

“  A  title  clear  to  mansions  in  the  skies.” 

The  second  is,  they  shall  “be  clothed  in  white  raiment.”  This 
means  that  their  sins  shall  all  be  washed  away  through  the 
blood  of  Jesus,  and  they  shall  be  made  holy  and  fit  for  heaven. 
The  third  is,  Jesus  says,  “they  shall  walk  with  me  in  white.”  To 
walk  with  Jesus  in  the  heavenly  world,  means  that  He  will  be 
our  companion,  that  we  will  share  His  thoughts  and  feelings, 
His  joys  and  glory.  How  wonderful  this  is !  And  then  the  last 
thing  included  in  this  promise  is,  that  Jesus  “  will  confess  our 
names  before  his  Father  and  the  holy  angels.”  What  a  wonder¬ 
ful  promise  this  is !  If  we  only  have  a  share  in  it,  it  will  be 
better  for  us  than  if  we  were  made  the  owners  of  all  the  gold 
and  silver  and  gems  and  jewels  in  the  world. 

Philadelphia. — The  Philadelphia  represented  in  our  pic¬ 
ture  is  that  to  which  the  apostle  John  wrote  the  sixth  of  the  seven 
letters  or  epistles  which  Jesus  sent  by  him,  while  he  Avas  a  pris¬ 
oner  in  the  island  of  Patmos,  to  the  churches  of  Asia  Minor. 


Philadelphia. 


IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


243 


There  are  two  things  which  I  wish  to  speak  of  in  connection 
with  this  subject:  one  is  the  situation  and  history  of  this  city ; 
the  other  is  the  epistle  that  was  sent  to  it.  I  have  something  to 
say,  in  the  first  place,  about 

The  Situation  and  History  of  Philadelphia. — It  is  situated 
about  ninety  miles  from  Sardis ;  it  lies  on  the  edge  of  a  fertile 
plain,  with  a  range  of  rough  and  rugged  mountains  behind  it, 
as  you  see  in  the  picture.  This  range  of  mountains  has  been 
thrown  up  by  a  volcano,  and  has  a  very  dark,  barren  look. 

This  city  was  built  one  hundred  and  forty  years  before  the 
time  of  our  Saviour,  by  one  of  the  kings  of  Pergamum,  whose 
name  was  Attalus  Pliiladelphus.  He  did  not  live  in  it  himself, 
or  make  it  the  capital  of  his  kingdom,  but  built  it  for  the  pur¬ 
pose  of  trade,  and  called  it  after  his  own  name.  The  word 
Philadelphia,  you  know,  means  brotherly  love.  William  Penn, 
who  founded  our  modern  Philadelphia,  gave  it  this  name  to 
show  the  love  and  kindness  with  which  he  desired  to  treat  the 
Indians. 

The  plain  on  which  the  ancient  city  of  Philadelphia  stood 
was  very  fertile.  In  old  times  the  sugar-cane  flourished  there, 
and  sugar  was  one  of  the  principal  articles  of  trade  of  the  place ; 
but  in  modern  times  this  useful  plant  has  disappeared,  and  in 
place  of  it  the  poppy  plant  is  cultivated,  out  of  wbicli  the 
poisonous  drug  called  opium  is  made.  At  a  certain  season  the 
women  and  children  go  out  into  the  fields,  and  scratch  the 
leaves  of  the  plant  with  sharp-pointed  skewers ;  then  a  milky 
sort  of  sap  or  juice  comes  out  on  the  leaf ;  this  dries  in  the  sun, 
and  turns  into  a  dark-colored  kind  of  gum,  which  is  gathered, 
washed  in  water,  and  then  is  fit  for  sale.  The  Turkish  govern¬ 
ment  at  Constantinople  claims  all  the  opium  that  is  raised  here, 
and  it  is  against  the  law  for  the  people  of  the  place  to  use  it 
themselves.  This  is  a  blessed  law  for  them,  and  if  they  mind  it, 
they  must  be  saved  from  a  great  deal  of  misery ;  for  there  is 
nothing  in  the  world  that  is  doing  so  much  harm  to  the  bodies 
and  the  souls  of  men  to-day  as  opium.  We  think  the  use 
of  ardent  spirits  is  very  bad  in  our  country,  and  so  it  is ;  but 


244 


ILLUSTRATED  RAMBLES 


the  use  of  opium  is  still  worse.  In  China  and  other  Eastern 
countries,  where  it  is  freely  used,  it  is  ruining,  both  for  this 
world  and  the  next,  thousands  and  thousands  of  people  every 
year. 

In  the  many  changes  that  have  taken  place  during  the  two 
thousand  years  of  its  history,  the  old  Philadelphia  has  often 
been  besieged  and  taken  in  war.  But  it  has  suffered  oftener, 
and  still  more  severely,  from  earthquakes.  If  you  and  I  could 
visit  this  old  city  to-day,  as  we  walked  among  the  buildings 
which  we  see  in  our  picture,  we  should  find  there  broken  arches 
and  columns,  which  are  the  ruins  of  what  Philadelphia  once 
was.  But  after  all  its  many  changes,  it  still  remains  and  still 
prospers. 

But  now,  in  the  second  place,  let  us  look  at 

The  El  ristle  to  the  Church  in  Philadelphia. — We  read  about 
this  in  Rev.  iii.  7-14.  In  most  of  the  other  epistles  Jesus  finds 
fault  with  the  members  of  the  churches,  and  threatens  them 
with  punishments  of  different  kinds  unless  they  leave  off  their 
evil  ways  and  do  better.  But  in  this  letter  to  the  church  in 
Philadelphia  there  is  no  fault  found  and  no  threatening  words 
spoken.  He  speaks  of  them  only  to  praise  them.  In  v.  8,  He 
says,  “  Thou  hast  kept  my  word,  and  hast  not  denied  my  name.'” 
Jesus  had  no  words  to  speak  to  this  church  but  words  of  en¬ 
couragement  and  promise. 

The  promise  which  Jesus  gives  to  this  church  is  a  very  pre¬ 
cious  one.  Part  of  it  had  reference  to  the  present  life  and  part 
of  it  to  the  life  to  come.  Let  us  look  now  at  this 

Promise  for  the  Present  Life. — We  find  this  in  vs.  9  and  10. 
In  v.  9,  Jesus  tells  them  what  He  would  do  to  their  enemies. 
There  were  wicked  men  living  in  this  city,  “  who  called  them¬ 
selves  Jews,  and  were  not,  but  were  of  the  synagogue  of  Satan.” 
This  means  that  they  were  doing  Satan’s  work,  by  persecuting 
and  annoying  the  followers  of  Jesus  in  that  city.  Jesus  pro¬ 
mises  that  He  would  cause  these  men  to  know  that  He  loved 
the  members  of  the  church  in  Philadelphia,  and  make  them 
come  and  worship  Him  along  with  them.  This  means  that  He 


IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


245 


would  convert  these  Jews  and  make  them  Christians ;  then 
they  would  no  longer  be  the  enemies  of  the  Christian  church. 
And  this  promise  was  exactly  fulfilled ;  for  it  is  mentioned  by 
a  Christian  writer  at  the  beginning  of  the  second  century,  only 
a  little  while  after  the  death  of  the  apostle  John,  who  wrote  this 
epistle,  that  a  great  many  Jews  in  Philadelphia  who  had  been 
persecutors  of  the  church  became  Christians,  and,  like  Paul, 

“  preached  the  gospel  which  they  had  once  destroyed.” 

But  in  His  promise  to  the  members  of  this  church,  Jesus  tells  ' 
them  what  Lie  would  do  for  themselves,  as  well  as  what  Pie  would 
do  to  their  enemies.  In  v.  10,  He  promises  to  “keep  them  from 
the  hour  of  temptation  which  should  come  upon  all  the  world.” 
We  are  told  that  “  the  Lord  knoweth  how  to  deliver  the  godly  out 
of  temptation .”  2  Pet.  ii.  9.  We  remember  how  He  delivered 

Lot  from  Sodom,  and  Joseph  in  Egypt,  and  Job  in  the  land 
of  Uz,  and  Daniel  in  Babylon.  And  if  we  only  knew  the 
history  of  the  church  in  Philadelphia  after  this,  we  should  find 
how  completely  this  part  of  our  Saviour’s  promise  to  that  church 
was  fulfilled.  But 

The  Promise  for  the  Life  to  Come  is  the  best  part  of  this  pro¬ 
mise.  We  find  this  in  v.  12.  It  assured  them  of  three  things 
in  heaven,  and  these  were,  the  security,  the  honor  and  the  happi¬ 
ness  of  that  blessed  place. 

The  Security  of  Heaven  is  one  thing  embraced  in  this  promise. 
This  is  what  is  meant  when  Jesus  says,  “  Him  that  overcometh 
will  I  make  a  pillar  in  the  temple  of  my  God,  and  he  shall  go  no 
more  out.”  The  idea  of  this  is,  that  they  would  find  themselves 
safe  or  secure  in  heaven,  and  that  this  security  would  be  as 
fixed  or  permanent  as  a  stone  pillar  in  a  temple  is.  Philadel¬ 
phia  was  not  a  safe  place  to  live  in ;  it  was  very  subject  to 
earthquakes ;  these  destroyed  their  houses  and  threw  down  the 
temples  with  their  pillars.  The  people  were  often  obliged  to 
“go  out”  of  their  houses  and  temples,  and  seek  for  safety  in  the 
open  fields.  And  to  think  of  heaven  as  a  temple  in  which  they 
could  dwell  securely,  and  from  which  it  would  not  be  necessary 
for  them  to  “go  out”  in  order  to  find  safety,  would  be  very 


246 


ILLUSTRATED  RAMBLES 


pleasant  to  them.  Heaven  is  promised  to  them  here  as  a  place 
of  security. 

But  honor  is  promised  here  in  heaven,  as  well  as  security : 
“  I  ivill  write  upon  him  the  name  of  my  God.”  When  a  Roman 
general  had  been  successful  in  overcoming  his  enemies,  on  his 
return  home  the  people  often  built  a  pillar  or  arch  to  his  honor. 
On  this  pillar  they  would  engrave  the  names  of  the  cities  he 
had  taken,  or  the  people  he  had  conquered,  or  anything  con¬ 
nected  with  him  that  would  be  the  most  to  his  honor.  But  in 
heaven  the  most  honorable  thing  is  to  have  it  known  that  God 
loves  us.  And  when  Jesus  promises  to  write  upon  His  people 
the  name  of  God,  He  means  that  He  will  make  it  known  to  all 
in  heaven  that  God  loves  them  very  much.  As  He  says  in 
another  place,  He  will  “  confess  them  before  his  Father  and  the 
holy  angels .”  This  will  be  the  highest  honor  of  heaven. 

And  then  the  happiness  of  heaven  is  another  part  of  this  pro¬ 
mise :  “And  I  will  write  upon  him  the  name  of  the  city  of  my 
God,  which  is  new  Jerusalem .”  Here  heaven  is  compared  to  a 
city  called  the  “  New  Jerusalem.”  And  when  Jesus  promises 
to  write  the  name  of  this  city  on  His  people,  the  meaning  is, 
that  He  will  give  them  a  share  in  all  the  joys  and  blessings  of 
that  city.  If  we  wish  to  know  what  these  are,  we  must  read 
the  last  two  chapters  of  the  book  of  Revelation.  There  we 
have  the  fullest  description  of  this  city  that  the  Bible  contains. 
The  security,  the  honor,  the  happiness  of  heaven,  how  wonderful 
these  will  be!  May  God  help  us  to  “ overcome ”  sin  and  Satan, 
that  we  may  have  a  share  in  the  promise  given  to  “  the  church 
in  Philadelphia.” 

Laodicea. — We  come  now  to  speak  of  the  place  where  the 
church  was  to  which  the  last  of  the  seven  epistles  was  written. 
Our  engraving  represents  that  place  as  it  appears  to  those  who 
now  visit  it.  I  wish  to  speak  about  the  history  of  Laodicea,  and 
what  Jesus  said  in  dJis  letter  to  the  church  there. 

The  History  of  Laodicea. — Ephesus  and  Smyrna,  to  which 
the  first  two  letters  were  written  by  John,  were  in  the  western 
part  of  Asia  Minor,  near  the  sea.  Laodicea,  to  which  the  last 


Laodicka 


IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


247 


of  his  seven  letters  was  written,  was  the  farthest  from  them  in 
an  easterly  direction.  This  city  was  in  existence  a  long  time 
before  the  date  of  this  epistle.  We  do  not  know  by  whom  it 
was  founded.  The  Greeks  first  called  it  Diospolis,  which  means 
the  city  of  Jupiter.  Then  for  a  while  it  went  by  the  name  of 
Rhoas ;  and  at  last  one  of  the  kings  of  Syria  gave  it  the  name 
applied  to  it  in  the  New  Testament,  after  the  name  of  his  wife, 
Laodice. 

It  was  a  great  place  for  trade  and  commerce,  and  in  this  way 
it  became  very  rich.  At  the  time  when  this  epistle  was  written, 
it  was  very  prosperous.  But  this  prosperity  has  long  since 
passed  away,  and  for  hundreds  of  years  past  nothing  has 
been  left  of  Laodicea  but  its  ruins.  We  see  some  of  them  on 
the  left-hand  side  of  our  picture.  No  one  lives  in  Laodicea 
now.  It  is  called  by  the  Turks  Eski-Hissar,  which  means 
“  the  old  castle.”  Not  very  far  from  these  ruins  is  a  village 
called  Denisli.  You  can  see  this  under  the  palm  trees  on  the 
right-hand  side  of  the  picture.  In  the  front  of  the  picture  you 
see  a  party  of  Arabs ;  they  have  pitched  their  tent,  and  then 
raised  up  its  sides  so  as  to  make  an  awning  of  it ;  some  of  them 
are  sitting  under  the  awning  and  some  on  a  large  rug  that  has 
been  spread  out  on  the  ground,  while  near  by  are  two  camels. 
This  is  what  might  have  been  seen  there  at  the  time  when  John 
wrote  this  epistle;  and  although  eighteen  hundred  years 
have  since  passed  away,  a  similar  scene  is  just  what  a  traveller 
may  see  there  at  the  present  day.  And  as  we  look  at  the  pic¬ 
ture,  we  see  the  hills  on  every  hand  stretching  out  around  where 
Laodicea  once  was,  while  broken  walls  and  heaps  of  ruins  are 
all  that  remain  to  show  where  the  city  stood. 

And  now  let  us  look  at  the  epistle  which  was  sent  to  the 
church  at  Laodicea.  We  find  this  in  Rev.  iii.  14-22.  Read 
these  verses  over,  and  then  notice  four  things  in  them.  One 
of  these  is — 

What  Jesus  thought  of  the  Laodiceans. — This  is  told  us  in  vs. 
15,  16.  He  said  that  because  “they  were  lukewarm,  and 
neither  cold  nor  hot,  he  would  spew  them  out  of  his  mouth.” 


248 


ILLUSTRATED  RAMBLES 


With  some  of  the  churches  to  which  these  epistles  were  sent, 
Jesus  found  fault  because  of  the  false  doctrines  which  they  held. 
With  others  of  them  he  found  fault  because  they  allowed  things 
to  be  done  which  were  very  wrong.  But  it  was  different  Avith 
the  members  of  the  church  at  Laodicea.  They  did  not  feel 
interest  enough  in  the  subject  of  religion  to  care  anything  about 
what  they  professed,  or  believed,  or  did.  This  was  what  Jesus 
thought  of  them.  This  Avas  their  real  state.  And  it  was  very 
disagreeable  to  Him.  If  you  take  anything  that  makes  you  sick 
at  the  stomach,  and  causes  you  to  vomit,  you  know  Iioav  dis¬ 
agreeable  the  feeling  is  to  you.  Jesus  tells  us  here  that  this  is 
just  the  way  He  feels  towards  lukewarm  persons,  that  is,  to 
those  wdio  profess  to  love  Him,  and  yet  sIioav  by  their  conduct 
that  they  care  nothing  about  Him.  Let  us  pray  for  grace  to 
love  Him  with  all  our  hearts,  that  He  may  not  say  of  us  what 
He  says  here  about  the  Laodiceans. 

In  the  next  place  let  us  see 

What  the  Laodiceans  thought  of  themselves. — We  read  about 
this  in  v.  17.  They  thought  that  they  Avere  “rich,  and  in¬ 
creased  in  goods,  and  had  need  of  nothing .”  I  said  above  that 
Laodicea  Avas  very  prosperous  at  this  time  in  its  trade  and  com¬ 
merce.  The  people  were  rich  and  aaHI  off  in  the  things  of  this 
world.  And  this  made  them  feel  quite  satisfied  with  their 
spiritual  state.  They  thought  that  their  souls  were  quite  as 
prosperous  as  their  bodies.  But  in  this  they  were  entirely  mis¬ 
taken.  For  Jesus,  who  knows  ay  bat  our  real  condition  is  much 
better  than  AATe  knoAV  ourselves,  says  that  at  the  very  time  they 
were  thinking  so  Avell  of  themselves,  they  Avere  “  wretched,  and 
miserable,  and  poor,  and  blind,  and  naked.”  This  shoAA'S  us 
1aoav  easy  it  is  to  be  mistaken  about  our  true  character.  The 
Bible  tells  us  that  “  the  heart  is  deceitful  above  all  things,  and 
desperately  AATicked.”  If  wre  have  never  seen  ourselves  in  a 
looking-glass,  wre  cannot  tell  Avhat  sort  of  looking  persons  Ave  are. 
We  may  think  ourselves  very  beautiful,  Avhen  AA7e  are  really 
very  ugly.  The  only  AA7ay  to  find  this  out  is  to  look  at  our¬ 
selves  in  a  mirror.  Then  Ave  shall  knoAV  just  Avhat  sort  of 


IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


249 


looking  persons  we  are.  And  it  is  exactly  so  with  our  souls. 
The  Bible  is  God’s  mirror.  We  must  look  into  that,  and  find 
out  how  we  look  there,  if  we  wish  to  know  what  our  true 
character  is.  For  it  is  not  what  we  think  of  ourselves,  but 
what  God  thinks  of  us,  that  shows  us  what  kind  of  persons  we 
really  are.  If  the  Laodiceans  had  done  this,  they  would  not 
have  made  so  great  a  mistake  as  they  did  about  themselves. 

The  third  thing  to  notice  in  this  ejfistle  is 

The  Advice  Jesus  gave  to  the  Laodiceans. — We  find  this  in 
v.  18.  He  says,  “  I  counsel  you  to  buy  of  me  gold  tried  in  the 
fire,  that  thou  mayest  be  rich.”  This  means  the  grace  of  God, 
which,  like  gold,  is  the  most  valuable  of  all  things,  and  makes 
those  who  have  it  truly  rich.  The  real  Christian  is  the  only 
rich  man.  He  has  “  durable  riches,”  “  a  treasure  in  heaven, 
which  moth  and  rust  cannot  corrupt,  nor  thieves  break  through 
and  steal.”  Jesus  also  counselled  them  to  buy  of  Him  “  white 
raiment,  that  they  might  be  clothed.”  This  refers  to  that 
beautiful  “  robe  of  righteousness,”  that  “  garment  of  salvation,” 
which  Jesus  puts  on  the  souls  of  all  His  people.  This  is  the 
robe,  or  raiment,  which  we  must  all  have  on  if  we  hope  to 
enter  heaven. 

He  also  counselled  them  to  buy  of  Him  “eye-salve,”  with 
which  to  “  anoint  their  eyes,  that  they  might  see.”  By  this 
“  eye-salve,”  Jesus  means  the  help  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  It  is 
only  He  who  can  open  the  eyes  of  our  minds,  so  that  we  can 
understand  the  things  of  which  the  Bible  tells  us.  The  “  fine 
gold,”  and  “  white  raiment,”  and  “  eye-salve,”  here  spoken  of, 
are  the  most  precious  of  all  things.  And  they  are  things  that 
ice  need,  as  much  as  the  Laodiceans  did. 

When  Jesus  tells  them  to  “buy”  these  things,  He  does  not 
mean  that  they  were  to  give  money  for  them.  All  the  money 
in  the  world  would  not  purchase  one  of  them.  By  buying  them, 
He  means  trying  to  get  them — asking  or  praying  for  them.  They 
are  to  be  bought,  as  the  prophet  says,  “without  money  and  with¬ 
out  price.”  Isa.  Iv.  1.  Let  us  follow  the  advice  of  Jesus  here. 
It  is  advice  which  suits  us  as  well  as  it  did  the  Laodiceans. 


250  ILLUSTRATED  RAMBLES  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 

The  last  thing  to  notice  in  this  epistle  is 

The  Promise  it  contains. — We  see  this  in  v.  21 :  “  To  him 
that  overcometh  will  I  give  to  sit  down  with  me  on  my  tin  one, 
as  I  also  overcame,  and  am  set  down  with  my  Father  on  his 
throne.”  No  one  can  tell  now  all  that  this  wonderful  promise 
includes.  But  we  may  be  sure  of  this :  that  all  who  truly  love 
and  serve  Jesus  here  in  this  life,  will  share  with  Him  the  glory 
and  blessedness  of  His  heavenly  kingdom  in  the  life  to  come. 
This  is  something  wonderful ;  it  is  more  than  any  of  us  can 
understand.  But  it  is  true;  and  if  we  really  love  and  serve 
God,  we  shall  know  by  and  by  all  that  it  means. 

And  now  we  have  finished  speaking  about  these  letters  of 
Jesus  to  the  seven  churches.  Let  us  try  and  remember  all  that 
Jesus  has  said  in  them.  The  promises  given  at  the  close  of 
these  letters  are  “exceeding  great  and  precious.”  I  pray  for 
myself,  and  all  the  readers  of  this  book,  that  these  promises 
may  be  fulfilled  in  our  experience.  This  will  be  better  for  us 
than  if  all  the  gold  and  silver  and  gems  and  jewels  in  the  world 


were  ours. 


INDEX 


Abraham’s  Oak,  105. 

Absalom,  character  of,  60. 

pillar  or  tomb  of,  59. 
Aceldama,  site  of,  58. 

Adullam,  Cave  of,  99. 

Aegean  Sea,  221. 

Ahab,  wicked  reign  of,  144. 

Ain  Ata,  village  of,  190,  191. 

Ain  Fijeh,  description  of,  181. 

Ain  Jaleed,  fountain  of,  134. 

Ajalon,  valley  of,  36. 

Alexandretta,  beautiful  situation  of 
210,  211.  ’ 
Alexandria,  town  of,  14. 

Ananias,  house  of,  176. 

Ancient  Jericho,  site  of,  79. 
Anti-Lebanon  Range,  ISO,  186. 
Antioch,  situation  of,  208. 
history  of,  208,  209. 
connection  of  the  Bible  with, 
209. 

disciples  first  called  Christians 
at,  210. 

Apollo,  statue  of,  221. 

Apostle  J ohn’s  connection  with  Ephe¬ 
sus,  228. 

Apostle  Paul’s  connection  with  Ephe¬ 
sus,  22 7. 

Arab  water-carriers,  17. 
sheiks,  27. 

Arabs,  character  of,  77. 

curious  dances  of,  80. 

Ascent  of  Mount  Tabor,  137. 

Baal,  Temple  of,  1S8. 

Baalbek,  situation  of,  186,  187. 
past  and  present,  187. 
ruins  of,  187. 
great  stones  of,  188. 
a  Sabbath  at,  189. 

“  Backsheesh,”  custom  of  giving,  26. 
Banias,  village  of,  162. 

beautiful  appearance  of,  162. 
Temple  of  Herod  the  Great  at, 
163. 

Barada,  gorge  of  the,  182. 

Battle  of  Hattin,  the,  152. 

Beatitudes,  Mount  of,  151. 


Bedouin  Arab  guides,  26. 

Beirut,  Hotel  D’Orient  at,  200. 
situation  of,  200. 
views  around,  200. 
prosperity  of,  201. 
missions  and  schools  of,  202. 
need  of  education  at,  203. 
Bergama,  richness  of,  234. 

valuable  library  at,  234. 
great  wickedness  of,  235. 
Bethany,  village  of,  72. 

Bethel,  village  of,  112. 

general  appearance  of,  112. 
Jacob  flees  to,  113. 
interesting  events  at,  114. 
Bethesda,  Pool  of,  55. 

appearance  of  the,  55. 
Bethlehem,  city  of,  95. 

general  appearance  of,  95. 
birthplace  of  Christ  at,  97,  98. 
Mosque  of  Omar  at,  98. 

Cave  of  Adullam  at,  99. 
Bottles,  ancient  skin,  17. 

Bricks,  Eastern,  how  made,  15. 
Brook  Cherith,  77. 

important  meditations  on,  78. 
Kedron,  64. 

Bukaa,  plain  of^  186. 

Cairo,  city  of,  14-16. 

Cana  of  Galilee,  Christ’s  miracle  at. 

147-150.  ’ 

Canal  of  Suez,  28. 

Capernaum,  ruins  of,  156. 

Carmel,  Mount,  142,  143. 

Cave  of  Machpelah,  104. 

of  the  Revelation,  224. 

Cedars  of  Lebanon,  32. 

Character  of  Absalom,  60. 

Cherith,  the  Brook,  77. 
appearance  of,  77. 

Elijah  at,  79. 

Christ’s  birthplace,  97. 
first  miracle,  148. 
important  lessons  taught  by. 

149,  150.  ’ 

miracle  at  Shunem,  136. 

Church  of  John  the  Baptist,  123. 


252 


INDEX. 


Church  of  the  Holy  Sepulchre,  45. 

curious  architecture  of,  46. 
City  of  Bethlehem,  95. 

Cairo,  14. 

Ephesus,  226. 

Hebron,  102,  103. 

Nab  ulus,  120. 

Nain,  136. 

Nob,  109. 

Tarsus,  212. 

Thyatira,  236. 

Cleopatra’s  Needle,  14. 

Colossus  of  Rhodes,  220,  221. 
Compass,  mariner’s,  9. 
use  of  the,  9. 
fastened  to  the  mast,  10. 
Convent  of  Mar  Saba,  91,  94. 

of  the  Nativity,  97. 

Croesus,  the  story  of,  240. 

Crusaders,  the,  41. 

Cyprus,  climate  and  productions  of, 
215. 

connection  of  with  Bible  his¬ 
tory,  214-217. 

population  and  history  of,  215. 
size  and  appearance  of,  214r-217. 

Damascus,  great  beauty  of,  171. 
rivers  of,  172. 
luxuriant  gardens  of,  173. 
antiquity  of,  173. 
walks  about,  175. 
bazaars  of,  177. 

Sunday  in,  177. 

Great  Mosque  of,  178. 

Daphne,  grove  at  Antioch,  208. 
David  and  Jonathan,  meeting-place 
of,  108. 

Dead  Sea,  the,  86. 

situation  of,  87. 
gloomy  appearance  of,  88. 
quality  of  water  of,  88. 

Death  of  Lazarus,  73. 

Deborah  the  Prophetess,  110. 

Dews  of  Ilermon,  168. 

Dives,  house  of,  54. 

Dorcas,  history  of,  32. 
raised  to  life,  32. 

Societies,  founding  of,  33. 
Dothan,  the  hill  of,  126. 

great  fertility  of,  127. 

Joseph’s  fate  at,  127. 
Dragomans,  employment  of,  29. 

Eastern  bricks,  how  made,  15. 

“  Ecce  Homo  Arch,”  53. 

Egypt,  land  of,  IS. 

wonderful  history  of,  18. 
Egyptian  laborers,  20. 


Elijah  at  the  Brook  Cherith,  79. 

Elisha,  Fountain  of,  79. 

Endor,  city  of,  137. 

the  witch  of,  137. 

Engedi,  wilderness  of,  92. 

Ephesus,  city  of,  226. 

great  Temple  of,  226. 
the  Apostle  John’s  connection 
with,  228. 

the  Apostle  Paul's  connection 
with,  227. 

Esdraelon,  plain  of,  131. 
description  of,  132. 

Fountain  of  Elisha,  79. 

of  Tel-el-Kady,  162. 

Funeral,  an  Oriental,  139. 

Galilee,  Sea  of,  153. 

beautiful  situation  of,  153 

Garden  of  Gethsemane,  the,  64. 
Christ’s  sufferings  in,  65. 

Gerizim,  Mount,  121. 

Gibeali  of  Saul,  109. 

Gilboa,  Mountains  of,  133. 

Gorge  of  the  Barada,  182. 

Great  Mosque  of  Damascus,  178. 

Grotto  of  the  Shepherds,  97. 

Hebron,  city  of,  102,  103. 
great  beauty  of,  103. 
incidents  connected  with,  104. 

Hermon,  Mount,  165. 

Ilerostratus,  226. 

Hill  of  Dothan,  126. 
of  Samaria,  123. 

Ilinnom,  Valley  of,  58. 

History  of  Dorcas,  32. 

of  Philadelphia,  242-244. 
of  Smyrna,  229,  230. 

Holy  Sepulchre,  the,  47. 

Church  of,  47. 
description  of,  46. 
buildings  of,  47. 

House  of  Martha  and  Mary,  72. 
of  Saint  Veronica,  54. 
of  Simon  the  tanner,  34. 

Isaiah’s  Tree,  59. 

Ishtorah,  198. 

Island  of  Rhodes,  218. 

Isle  of  Patinos,  222. 

Jacob  flees  to  Bethel,  113. 

Jacob’s  Well,  116. 

great  antiquity  of,  117,  118. 

Jaffa,  description  of,  30. 
streets  of,  30. 
orchards  of,  31. 


INDEX. 


253 


Jaffa,  population  of,  31. 

great  fertility  of,  34. 
mode  of  travel  in,  35. 

Jebel  Sunnim,  198. 

Jenin,  town  of,  129,  130. 

Jericho,  site  of  ancient,  79. 

ruins  of,  81. 

Jerusalem,  city  of,  37. 

destroyed  by  Nebuchadnezzar, 
38. 

Temple  of,  rebuilt,  38. 
bow  Solomon  beautified,  38. 
besieged  by  Titus,  39. 
pestilence  and  famine  rage  in, 
40. 

possession  of,  by  the  Turks,  40. 
Jews’  Wailing  Place,  41. 

lessons  to  be  derived  from,  43. 
Jezreel,  village  of,  134. 

John  the  Divine,  Monastery  of,  224. 
Jonah,  supposed  tomb  of,  151. 
Jordan,  the  river,  83. 
bathing  in,  84. 
miracles  wrought  at,  84. 
Judea,  wilderness  of,  76. 

desolate  appearance  of,  92. 
Jupiter,  Temple  of,  187. 

Kedron,  the  Brook,  64. 

Kefr  Kenna,  village  of,  147. 

present  condition  of,  147. 

Lake  of  Tiberias,  147. 

Land  of  Egypt,  18. 

Laodicea,  208. 

church  of,  246. 

Lazarus,  sickness  and  death  of,  73. 
the  tomb  of,  74. 

Christ  raises,  74. 

Leaning  Tower  of  ' Pisa.  11. 

Lebanon,  beauty  and  grandeur  of  its 
mountains,  193. 
cedars  of,  32. 
description  of  the,  191. 
journey  to  the,  191. 
its  usefulness  to  the  land,  194. 
water  supply  of,  195. 

Seri  pture  ’-ei'erences  to,  196,  \  97. 
Little  Hermon,  plain  of,  135. 

Mach  pel  ah,  Cave  of,  104. 

Mariner’s  Compass,  9. 

Mar  Saba,  Convent  of,  91-94. 

Martha  and  Mary,  house  of,  72. 
Mediterranean,  pleasant  memories  of, 
217,  218. 

Mersine,  town  of,  211. 

Mitylene,  Island  of,  221. 

Monastery  of  John  the  Divine,  224. 


Moses,  where  educated,  15. 

Mosque  of  Omar,  the,  49. 

description  of,  50. 

Mount  of  Beatitudes,  the,  151. 
Carmel,  142,  143. 

Gerizim,  121. 

interesting  facts  concerning, 

121,  122. 

Hermon,  view  of,  129. 
beauty  and  grandeur  of,  165. 
size  and  height  of,  167. 
copious  dews  of,  168. 
of  Olives,  site  of  the,  64. 
solemn  reflections  on  view¬ 
ing  the,  65. 
description  of  the,  69. 

Pagus,  230. 

Tabor,  ascent  of,  137. 
great  beauty  of,  138. 
Mountain  of  Quarantania,  81. 
Mountains  of  Gilboa,  133. 
of  Lebanon,  193. 

Nablus,  city  of,  120. 

great  fertility  of,  120. 

Nain,  city  of,  136. 

the  widow  of,  136. 

Nativity,  Convent  of  the,  97. 
Nazareth,  ramble  through  the  town 
of,  142. 

beautiful  view  around,  142. 
New  Tyre,  204,  205. 

Old  Tyre,  202. 

Olives,  Mount  of,  64. 

Omar,  Mosque  of,  98. 

Oriental  funeral,  an,  139. 
lunch,  an,  184. 

Pagus,  Mount,  230. 

Palestine,  description  of  houses  in, 

33. 

Parliament  Oak  of  England,  106. 
Patmos,  description  of,  222. 

use  of,  by  the  Romans,  223. 
John  the  Evangelist  in,  223, 
224. 

Paul’s  escape,  scene  of,  176. 
Pergamos,  city  of,  233. 

Philadelphia,  history  of,  242,  244. 
Pisa,  city  of,  11. 

Leaning  Tower  of,  11. 
conjectures  about,  12. 

Plain  of  Bukaa,  186. 

of  Esdraelon,  131. 

Pompey’s  Pillar,  14. 

Pool  of  Bethesda,  the,  55. 

miracle  performed  at,  55. 
of  Siloam,  the,  59. 


254 


INDEX. 


Pools  of  Solomon,  tlie,  99-101. 
Pyramids,  the,  19. 

Pyramids,  when  and  how  built,  19, 20. 
speculations  concerning,  20. 
lessons  drawn  from,  21. 
cost  of  building,  24. 
danger  of  climbing,  25. 
mode  of  ascending,  26. 

Quarantania,  Mountain  of,  81. 

Raikes,  Robert,  first  Sunday-school 
missionary,  24. 

Ramah,  110. 

Ramleh,  town  of,  36. 

Resurrection  of  Lazarus,  74. 

Rhodes,  Island  of,  218. 
geography  of,  218. 
history  of,  219. 

home  of  the  Knights  of  St. 
John,  219. 

the  Colossus  of,  220,  221. 

River  Jordan,  the,  S3. 

Rizpah’s  devotion,  scene  of,  J10. 
Rock  of  Mount  Moriah^.^O. 

Ruins  of  Capernaum,  156. 
of  Jericho,  81. 
of  Samaria,  125. 

Saint  Veronica,  house  of,  54. 

Samaria,  the  hill  of,  123. 

traditions  concerning,  124. 
ruins  of,  125. 

Sardis,  ancient  city  of,  239. 

Sea  of  Galilee,  153. 

Sepulchre,  the  Holy,  47. 

Shechem,  119. 

Sheik,  Arab,  character  of,  27. 
Shepherds,  Grotto  of  the,  97. 

Shiloh,  110. 

Shunem,  village  of,  135. 

miracle  performed  at,  136. 
Shunammite  woman,  son  of,  restored 
to  life,  136. 

Siloam,  Pool  of,  59. 

Simon  the  tanner,  house  of,  34. 

Skin  bottles,  17. 

Smyrna,  position  and  history  of,  229, 
230. 

classical  associations  of,  230. 
its  connection  with  Scripture, 
230-233. 

Snow-storm  on  the  mountains,  184. 


Solomon  beautifies  the  Temple,  38. 
Solomon’s  Pools,  99-101. 

Statue  of  Apollo,  221. 

St.  Paul’s  journey,  221. 

Suez,  Canal  of,  28. 

Syrian  sky,  beauty  of,  at  night,  183. 

Tarsus,  city  of,  211. 

connection  of  Alexander  the 
Great  with,  212. 
Tel-el-K'ady,  Fountain  of,  162. 
Temple  of  Baal,  188. 
of  Ephesus,  226. 
of  Herod  the  Great,  163. 
of  Jupiter,  187. 

The  Brook  Cherith,  77. 

“  The  Haram,”  its  great  size,  49. 
“The  Sorrowful  Way,”  52. 

Thyatira,  city  of,  236. 

important  lessons  concerning, 
237. 

Tiberias,  town  of,  154. 

filthy  condition  of,  154. 
lake  of,  147,  154. 

4  Tomb  of  Jonah,  151. 
iTown  of  Jenin,  129,  130. 

Tree,  Isaiah’s,  59. 

Tripoli,  in  Syria,  207. 

Tyre,  Old,  history  of,  202. 

wonderful  prophecy  concern¬ 
ing,  203. 

New,  204,  205. 

Union  Meeting  at  Nazareth,  140. 

Valley  of  Ajalon,  the,  36. 
of  Hinnom,  the,  58. 
principal  objects  of,  59. 

Via  Dolorosa,  the,  52. 

description  of,  53. 

View  around  Nazareth,  142. 

Village  of  Ain  Ata,  190,  191. 

Banias,  162. 

Bethany,  72. 

Jezreel,  134. 

Kefr  Kenna,  147. 

Wailing  Place,  the  Jews’,  41. 

Well,  Jacob’s,  116,  119. 

Widow  of  Nain,  136. 

Wilderness  of  Engedi,  92. 

Judea,  76. 

Witch  of  Endor,  137.  ^ 


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Date  Due 


